Based on a True Lie
by WhitOro
Summary: Looking for a book to pass the time during a boring trip, Anna comes across a shocking discovery: there's a novel enjoying a sweeping success through Europe, a romantic tale about a princess meeting the true love of her life. The title? "Love is An Open Door". Who wrote it? The princess of Arendelle only needs to read it once to realize the truth…
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter I Big in Europe_

Anna thought she loved weddings. She had never been to one before in her entire life, but she knew she would have loved it. Now that she had finally lived the experience, she realized it was a misplaced assumption. Oh, well, the princess was still sure would have probably loved the wedding of people _she knew_, and _her own_ of course, but the one of perfect strangers? Not so much.

In castle Arendelle had arrived a month prior an invitation for the royal union of the princess of the neighbour country of Langreise with the love of her life. It was directed to Elsa, but she was too busy with court's duties to actually attend. Anna had jumped at the possibility like a wolf on a meal, sure that Kristoff would have travelled with her. But he was _busy_…

Closed in her moving carriage, Anna grunted, remembering those words. He wasn't busy of course, he just didn't want to go to a party of nobles, or to a wedding. Honestly, every time she threw the word in the air, he shuddered, suddenly cold. It wasn't his fault, she knew it all too well that the trolls were pressuring him to conclude the final verses of _that_ song, they had performed _that_ night… immediately, her frown turned into a quiet chuckle. He was so cute when he was under pressure… she just couldn't stay mad at him.

Well, in the end, she went alone. The bride's dress was amazing, the buffet was delicious (_oh, the chocolate, oooh…_), but she had found herself lost in the miasma of unknown faces and accents. She didn't really had anybody to talk with, and all the sharply dressed men that came to ask a dance reminded her too much of… _him_. Again, she grunted nervously. It had been a year and a half and she still had trouble trusting attractive gentlemen in high uniform. In the end, she didn't have that good of a time. She couldn't wait to be back home.

Anna removed the bad thoughts from her mind. Still closed in the highly decorated ball dress she had prepared for the occasion, she left herself sink in the padding of the carriage's pillows. They were moving towards to the docks, were her ship back home would have sailed that night. Two more days at sea. She sighed heavily, moving her hands to the box of chocolates she had borrowed (_stole_) from the wedding, taking another one of those delicious pearls.

As she cooed in pleasure for the taste melting in her mouth, she moved her fingers once more, looking for another candy. She winced, raising her head. "Oh no…" she grabbed the box, studying it intensely. "Oh, no, no, no!" they were already finished. She pushed her head out of the little window of the coach and called her driver: "Fridolv!"

"Yes, my lady?" the affable middle-aged man looked at her. He pulled the bridles to slow down the two black horses at the head of the chariot.

"Is there a chocolate shop or bakery or something like that around here?"

He laughed: "I don't know my lady, we could look for it."

Anna gave him a wide smile, waving the empty box in the air. "Then let's do it! Your princess demands it!"

He chuckled again, starting to move. They needed half an hour and the help of three different men before finding a rather large commercial street, filled with expensive looking and richly decorated shops. Langreise was a city of white buildings and warm weather. It was a perfect little day of spring, a sweet and gentle breeze kissed the citizens of the kingdom. The chocolate shop had a French name with a sign all in pink, its window showcased so much beautiful tasty-looking stuff that Anna felt ready to cry tears of joy. She forced herself not to look, sure that she would have bought the entire place.

"Alright, here we are," Fridolv dismounted from his seat, reaching the princess's window. "What do you want me to look for, my lady?"

She handed him the box. "If they have these, it would be great! Otherwise look for something similar."

"I'm on it…"

Anna watched him go, staying inside the coach. Her eyes danced around the streets, looking through the various commercial exercises. A book shop on the other side of the road caught her attention. _Mr. Peacock's Paper Paradise_. She liked the name, and suddenly she remembered how bored she had got during the journey to reach that kingdom.

"I should have brought myself something to read," she remembered saying many times in those forty-eight hours of sea-sickness. Smiling, she decided that waiting in the coach was pointless. With a few rapid steps, hands gripped on the fabric of her skirt, she went out of the cabin, crossed the street, and entered the bookshop. A bell ringed when she opened the door.

It was much larger than she had anticipated. The first room swept high up to the ceiling, the walls on both sides were filled with books, and so were countless tables dispersed through the main hall. Thousands the volumes, a colourful army of covers and pages or every size and the aroma of paper filled the room, a smell that had a soothing effect on the princess. Anna was never the biggest or most voracious reader, truly, Elsa was the one much more into it. Yet the young woman did enjoy a good novel every once in a while.

She started wondering if somebody was there, when suddenly a low sounds of steps arrived from a near by room. A man came in, tall and friendly looking, with silver hair and a discreet pair of glasses on his nose. "Oh, I thought I heard the doorbell," he said, with a gentle smile. "Good Morning, my Lady."

"Mr. Peacock?" she asked.

He shook his head, smirking. "I'm Mr. Feynar. I'm sorry, but Mr. Peacock is just the name of the shop…"

"Oh," she flushed red, faintly laughing at that little gaffe. "Well, Mr. Feynar, I'm Anna, it's a pleasure…"

"It's a pleasure for me too, Lady Anna. Do you want to buy a book?"

"Yes actually," she looked across the room, smiling. "Something to pass the time…"

"Do you have any idea on what you're looking for?"

"Why don't you sir give me an advice?"

"Well, how about horror fiction?" he moved around some piles of books, reaching a text in a black cover. "_Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus_. It has been a huge hit in Europe. Written by a rather talented woman, Lady Mary Shelley."

Anna bit her lips. "Horror? No, no, not for me," she laughed cautiously. "Don't you have something, I don't know, light? Pleasant? To fill the time during a boring journey?"

"A romance?"

The princess smiled, embarrassed. "A romance sounds great."

She was afraid of sounding childish, but the man kept his open smile, starting: "The choice is wide! And advice on some classics? _Pamela_ or _Pride and Prejudice_. Or maybe you want something more recent… _Love is an Open Door_ has become quite popular. Or maybe even…"

Anna stopped him, intrigued: "I heard of Pride and thing! I guess I will take that_waitwhat_?" the last title finally reached her brain, hitting her like a cannon ball. _Love is an Open Door_. Didn't she already heard something along those lines? Maybe? Where? Then she remembered… "Oh god…"

Mr. Feynar stared at her with puzzled eyes. "Uhm… my Lady? Is something wrong?"

Shocked, she ignored the question, rapidly asking: "That last book! Who wrote it?!"

"Which one, _Love is an Open Door_? The author is a man named Johannes Liebe. Unfortunately, I don't know much about him, this is only his first novel," from one of the shelves he took the book, that had a green cover decorated by golden trims. "…But it surely won't be his last. Like I said, it's having quite a lot of success in Europe. It has a fairy tale sort of vibe to it that is surprisingly appealing I'd say…"

Anna went closer, grabbing the tome from his hands. To her, it felt immensely heavier than it actually was. She opened it up and studied the first page, reading the title and author once more. "Wh-w-what is it about?!" she asked, he belly filled with an awful presentiment she really could comprehend or ignore.

"It's a love story obviously. A prince and a princess meet," hearing that Anna became stiff with disbelief. "It's true love at first sight, but her evil sister doesn't want them to get married," she raised her head and stared at the shop owner, her face a pale mask of confusion. He elegantly smiled. "That's all I'm going to say. I wouldn't dare ruin a book to anybody…"

Anna passed the title page, reaching Chapter one. She read the first few lines… _Summer in the city of Kaldnade. It couldn't be warmer, it couldn't be sunnier_.

Mr. Feynar clapped his hands. "So, do we have a winner?"

The princess gritted her teeth, closing the book. "Oh yes… I _need_ to read this…"

* * *

Fridolv had found the exact same type of chocolate and bought a thirty pieces box. Despite that, even the delicious milky bonbons weren't enough to wipe away the bitter, nasty taste that was filling Anna's tongue and mouth, as she started reading the book.

_Prince Friedrik of the Northern Mountains was a man of infinite talents and countless qualities. Many admired his beauty and his mind, even more were those that envied his status, of first born prince of a great and powerful nation. He was a stunning man, charming to all living things, a thick mane of black hair…_

Anna snorted, rolling her eyes. That foppish scumbag had some nerves.

…_sent he was by his father to the coronation of Princess Haralda of Kaldnade, known by many for her sharp mind and the astringent draughtiness of her heart. She had kept herself closed for years and years in her monumental stronghold, disgusted by the idea of sunlight and people. She was a woman enamoured with many things: her power, her throne, but most of all, her own isolation…_

"Can't believe this bulls…" Anna took another chocolate in her mouth, snarling as her anger was building up.

…_they were meant to marry, Friedrik and Haralda, like their fathers had decided many years before, on a night of cold, unnatural and calculated diplomacy-making, drenched in the rain like the sky was crying for such wickedness. In the name of respect for his father, Friedrik knew he needed to abide to that old contract. Yet, his heart felt dishonest and conflicted in accepting that destiny. What was the meaning of a throne, if he couldn't share it with someone he truly loved?_

Anna almost chocked. Accidentally, she spat a globe of saliva and liquefied chocolate on the page. Cursing herself, she dabbed the paper with a tissue. The words were still readable fortunately. She went back to them, and again she knew, there was just no doubt, no doubt at all.

…_he stopped, short of hitting her, so quickly she had appeared in front of him, like an angel, lost and confused after escaping the golden gates of Paradise. A girl of uncommon and blinding beauty, hair gorgeous and black like a living winter night, her speckled skin fair and noble. A spark of bright energy ran across her smile, lips like plump petals or a majestic flower too beautiful to really exist in that dreary world. Descending from his stallion Appelsin, the Prince smiled and apologized for his rude, uncoordinated movements._

"_My lady, thank goodness my lackadaisical riding didn't tarnish your splendour. I'm Prince Friedrik of the Northern Mountains. May I have the honour and privilege of knowing your name?"_

_She bowed ever so slightly, holding her green dress. Her voice was a tender tune, like music from an enchanted orchestra. "Noble knight I am Princess Veronica of Kaldnade and I assure you, the honour belongs to myself in meeting someone of your undoubted eminence."_

_They realized both that something had happened in that short instant. Something unexpected and magic, something they both believed would have never happen. But it was true… true love._

"Ugh, don't trust him!" Anna kept herself from spitting again.

They reached the docks, and she went out of her coach with the chocolates in a hand and the book in the other, barely looking where she was going. The Arendelle's sailor surrounded her, every one of them sure that in those conditions she would have fallen to her death one way or another, but she reached the ship and her cabin without problems.

Throwing herself in the bed, she kept reading, again and again, page after page, barely able to sleep that night, devouring the book not because she liked it, but because she despised intensely every single printed word of it. She spent the entire day after still on the book, and once she finished it the first time, she read it all once more.

_Her breathless voice emitted a whisper of sadness and fear, her eyes covered in bitter tears. "My sister's sinful witchcraft stroke my soul. I will wither away like a solitary blossom in the autumnal wind… before its too late, only true love alone can save me… true love that I never knew in my life whole…"_

"_True love …" he realized with the speed of the God Mercury. "The true love that connects our lives. The true love that we felt that day on that shore. The true love that I myself never knew in my life whole… before you…"_

_And he leaned over her, their lips meeting in the a single moment of perfect synchronization. They were not two but one, like the original perfect being of the myths, man and woman, united forever. And with that kiss, he saved the both of them._

Anna closed the volume, gritting her teeth with such strength she was sure to break them. She wanted to burn that damn thing! She wanted to toss it in the ocean, then stand there, and wait to see the fishes eat it up, page after page! But she didn't do it. She needed tangible proofs that it was all real, that she didn't just imagine that horrible literary nightmare. That night, they reached Arendelle.

* * *

The following was a hot morning, with a bright tender sun. Like many days, Elsa had her breakfast ready on her balcony, so that she could smell the delicious air that came from the sea as she was quietly eating. With her white hair let loose, the light blue night vest still on, she sat on her table and started drinking a large cup of tea, letting the delicious taste heat her inside. Soon enough, an abrupt sound came from behind. She turned her head, smiling as her sister barged in the room, ready to join her.

"Ooh, Anna, less than a week, but I did miss you so much!" Elsa stood up, opening her arms. "Sorry if I didn't wait for your return last night, I had kind of a stressful day, and I wanted to sleep… actually, I'm surprised you're not still sleeping yourself… you arrived late yesterday, am I wrong?"

"I couldn't sleep," said the younger, hugging her sister rapidly before declaring: "We need to talk!"

"Oh sure," the Queen smiled, reaching her seat once more. "How was the wedding? Did you have fun?"

"The wedding is not important!" snapped the other. "This is!" Anna raised the green book she was holding, and Elsa looked at it confused.

"Ooh, ok… what is it?"

"It's a book that you need to read!"

"Oh," the interest of the Queen resurfaced. "Is it good?"

"No! It's the most horrible, nightmarish abomination I ever laid my eyes on!"

Again, Elsa frowned, really disconcerted. "I'm not sure I want to read it then…"

"You must!" Anna sat down at the table, her voice turned into a frantic fast-paced waterfall of words: "It's about a prince meeting a princess and they want to get married but she has a crazy evil witch-sister that doesn't want them to get married and has kept her lock up in a tower for years so that she would never find love and then she curses her because she's a witch I already said that and the princess will die unless an act of true love saves her so the prince jumps on her…"

"Wait, wait, slow down!" cried the other. "If you want me to read it, don't just spoil it like that!"

Anna eyes widened, stunned. "This is serious Elsa! You're not getting it?! What I said doesn't remind you of anything?!"

"Uhm…" Elsa curled her lips. "Well… it does kind of…"

"Me! You! Prince! Princess! Act of true love! The evil witch-sister!"

The queen narrowed her eyes, clucking her tongue: "Oh, so now I'm evil?"

"That's not what I'm saying!" Anna threw the book on the little table covered in sweets and brioches. "This books is us! Is our story!"

Elsa made a dubious face. She chuckled, shaking her head, visibly entertained. "Oh, dear, are you sure you're not overreacting?"

"I am not!" barked the redheaded princess, putting the book in the hands of the other woman. "Read the name of the author! Read it!"

"Johannes Liebe?"

"Yes! See?! _See_?!"

"See what?"

"Johannes! JOHANNES!" chanted the younger, articulating as hard as she could the words, twisting her face in several goofy masks: "Jo-_HAN-_ne-_S_". Elsa just stared, still not understanding. Anna grabbed her own face, desperately growling: "Hans! Hans wrote this!"

"Hans?"

"Hans!"

"Who's Hans?"

"Are you kidding me?! _That_ Hans!"

"Oh," Elsa nodded. "That Hans… the one we want to forget about…"

"Yes! I mean, no! I mean… yes! But I can't if he pulls out crap like this! Look!" Anna screamed again, rapidly turning the pages, filled with wrath and rage, her face red and ready to explode. "Look at what he writes about you! Look at it! Look! At! It!"

The older took again the book in her hands and glanced at the lines her sister was pointing at.

…_now officially the new Queen, Haralda shined of an otherworldly light. She was spectacularly beautiful and threateningly regal at the same time. Friedrik was left mesmerized by her ivory skin, perfect and clean like a primordial diamond, and he thought he could lose himself in her blue eyes, as deep as the sea and as piercing as a frozen peak…_

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Truly awful… Who would ever want to be described like this?"

"Don't joke around! Doesn't it makes you all…" Anna twisted her tongue. "...Icky and filthy the idea that _he_ writes stuff like this about you?!"

"Not really," Elsa shrugged. "I mean, let's be honest now, you don't know if it's _him_."

"Of course it's _him_! Everything that happens in this books is something that happened to the two of us… a very perverted, manipulated version of what happened, but still…"

The Queen sighed, sipping her tea. "Come on," she said. "I'm sure it's just a coincidence."

"It's not, I tell you… I mean, do we even know what happened to him?! We sent him back home and then what?"

"His brothers punished him…"

"How?"

Elsa puckered her lips. "I don't know, we never checked… I mean, again, I thought we were trying to forget about the whole deal with Hans.."

"We don't know! Exactly!" breathing heavily, Anna dropped on her seat, exhausted. "Wherever he is now, he's writing books like these! All of Europe will think I'm a stupid dreamer that falls in love for the first lying thief…"

"Anna," the Queen looked at her, gently. "Tell me this. In the novel, the princess, does she have your name?"

"Uhm… no?"

"Does it all take place in Arendelle?"

"No… there's an imaginary kingdom…"

"Is she redheaded?"

"No, she's has black hair and so does the prince, just like me and Hans had the same hair colour, and she…"

Elsa raised a hand, blocking her. "If you and the character have nothing in common, how would it be possible for anybody to know that it's you? If even she's you, which I'm still not convinced of."

Anna shook her head. "Well, I know what is going on and I don't like it! He pretends to be a hero that saves the world, kills the bad guy, receives the trophy princess of his dreams and obtains a throne! He's making money of a giant lie, distorting our story! I won't allow it! I can't allow it!"

Elsa tilted her head, curiously looking at her sister. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I will do something," Anna folded her arms and stood up triumphantly, ready to leave the room. "First of all, I need to find that scumbag. And this time, I will punch him so hard, he will forget how to write!"

She started moving towards the door. Elsa grabbed the volume and asked: "So, uhm, are there any like… explicit scenes in this book?"

Anna shivered, "Yes, unfortunately…"

"Oh, I get it…" the Queen nodded. "Can I still read it?"

Anna looked at her, stunned and agape. "Elsa!"

"What?"

_End Chapter I_

* * *

**Author's note**: the central idea is inspired by the fan-theory that many made on how Prince Hans is truly Hans Christian Andersen and re-wrote his adventures in Arendelle to make Elsa look like a villain. I hope you enjoyed, and I hope I'll be able to update it with a certain regularity. It won't be exaggeratedly too long anyway.

Have a nice day.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter II Something is rotten in the Southern Isles_

Anna only needed two more days to make her decision. In the early afternoon, she stormed her sister's office, finding her leaned over her desk on some royal paper work, she assumed. She took a deep breath and thundered: "I am going to the Southern Isles!"

Elsa raised her head. "No, you're not."

Anna pouted angrily. "Yes I am!"

"Trust me, you're not," the queen sent her a gentle smile. "You won't go to the Southern Isles, even if it means that I have to freeze the shore a second time."

"Elsa, you don't understand, I need to…" she paused, perplexed, suddenly realizing something. "What are you reading?"

The queen flinched, almost like she had been caught doing something bad. She started shuffling the papers the on her table: "I-what? Documents! Laws! I'm working…"

"That's a book!" Anna reached her with long steps. "That's _the_ book!" Those on her desk weren't documents, but the copy of _Love is an Open Door_.

"I…"

"Are you _crazy_?!"

Elsa laughed, covering her mouth, obviously embarrassed by that little weakness. "Oh, come on, it's entertaining in a sort of trashy, dirty way! How do they call them… guilty pleasures?" she narrowed her eyes, obviously enjoying the other one's fury. "It's actually giving me a lot of ideas… have you read the part about the queen's chambers? We should build something like that here…"

"_Elsa!_" the princess started yelling, and watching that reaction, her sister laughed even harder, almost to the point of tears. "I am joking!" she confessed.

"There's nothing to joke about!" Visibly offended, Anna took the book away from her, almost screaming: "This… _thing_ has been written by a guy that tried to murder you!"

"That's still something only you believe," replied again the Queen. She rubbed her forehead, sighing. "Alright Anna, stop being so dramatic about it… Are you sure you really want to go and visit him? I mean, ok, you're convinced that he wrote this book, but still, what are you going to do about it? You can't exactly force him to unwrite it!"

"We'll see about that, enough kicks in his _personal_ southern isles can solve any problem!"

"You know, Kristoff is really starting to influence you," saying that, Elsa smiled, hands clasped under her chin. "What about him? What does he think?"

"I already told Kristoff about it, and he said I'm free to go."

Elsa glared at her, "Ok, now tell me the truth."

Anna's cheeks puffed out, like she wanted to contain her anger. "Alright," she said. "I _will_ tell Kristoff, and he will _probably_ say that I'm free to go! And if he doesn't agree, what, now I need his permission too to do stuff? I can make my own choices!"

"Nobody is saying you can't," patiently Elsa stood up. "But I think you're obsessing over this story too much… why do you even care?"

"Why?" Anna moved her hands across the air. "Don't you get it? He lied to me! He filled my head with lies and more lies and manipulated me! And now, he's repeating those lies, and twisting them so that they will become the truth even though they're lies and I don't even know what I'm saying anymore!" she huffed, tired and nervous. "The point is, I don't want him to lie to other people and convince them that's how a story is! That they can just meet somebody and surrender themselves to him! I feel like he's creating legion of impressionable preys because of it!"

Elsa leaned against her desk nodding quietly. "Alright… I get it…"

"You do?" those words filled Anna's eyes with hope. "So that means…"

The queen sighed. "You can go to the Southern Isles, yes. Just, please, be careful and don't start any trouble, alright?"

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" the young princess shacked her fists in the air, thrilled by that little triumph. "Don't worry about a thing!"

"I wish I could," Elsa smirked. "And if he did wrote this book… can you let me have a signed copy?"

Anna boggled in terror, but the queen quickly started laughing once more, concluding: "It was just a joke! I swear it was a joke!"

* * *

"I wish you would let me come with you…"

"You would probably punch him as soon as you see him."

Kristoff laughed. "Why, you won't do it?"

"Yes, but it will be one against one, that's more fair," Anna smiled, as the blond ice seller helped her carry her bag at the docks.

"You promise me everything will be fine?"

"I promise you," Anna glared at him. "Wait, are you implying something?"

"I'm not implying anything," he quietly answered, abandoning the bag to take her arms. She smiled, as he pulled her towards him and kissed the corner of her lips, making her tremble. They kissed a second time, now with more passion, before they separated themselves.

"It's not you, it's him," he confessed, placing his frown against hers. "He's a lurid rat…"

"I know that better than you," Anna caressed his cheeks, before finally leaving his embrace. She took her bag and moved towards the ship her sister lent her. "I won't stay with him a minute longer than necessary. I'll close this story, and I'll come back to you. Sounds good?"

"Sounds great," Kristoff smiled. "This book… am I in it?"

"No, and you should be grateful for that."

"I am."

She smiled, blowing him one last kiss before the journey began. The travel at sea lasted six full days and nights. During that time, Anna just kept rereading the unholy book, cursing every verb, phrase and adjective of that despicable and putrid piece of purple lies.

_Veronica lifted her emerald eyes and soothingly whispered: "Prince, am I allowed to say something that could be effortlessly considered rather mad?"_

"_Madness is sometimes the key to true contentment my Lady… I love mad…"_

"_My existence whole as been a long sequence of doors closed in front of my lineaments… but then unpredictably I had the bliss of encountering you…"_

"_I had the equivalent thoughts, for you see, I've been exploring my entire existence to uncover a position that would gratify me… and maybe the celebrations are taking over my words… or the smell of pastries…"_

"Oh my god," Anna rolled her eyes. "How can this thing be a best-seller?!"

Finally, a rather chilly morning, they reached their destination. The Southern Isles were a small archipelago of trees covered islands not too distant from the peninsula of Denmark. The biggest one, in the centre, named Big Roland in honour of the first king and founder, held the vast majority of the country's population. Anna descended from her ship in a green dress and a white shirt with puff sleeves, elegant but still rather casual, her strawberry blond hair closed in the usual braids. She raised her head and starred in disbelief at the capital, her interest entirely focused on the residence of the royal family.

She quickly grabbed the book from her bag, and reread another page.

…_Heralda's grand fortress was a quadrangular bastion of rocks black like solid darkness, a single monolithic finger pointed at the sky like the city was a toffee-nosed noble and the world's great rooftop a criminal deserving a whipping. Everything about the mighty stronghold screamed coldness and sadness. Anguish, loneliness and pain overflowed its hallways, the air danced around like the cry of an abandoned orphan…_

Anna looked again at the royal palace of the Southern Isles. An imposing tower launched toward the sky, entirely built in black stones. Just more proofs.

Elsa had informed the king of her arrival with a letter, and a coach pulled by way too many horses already waited for her at the docks. In the early afternoon, Anna reached the dreaded fortress and was guided among it's insufferably long and dreary hallways. The ambiance was cold and kind of spooky, furnished entirely with medieval relics, blunt weapons and dark drapes.

"Anguish and loneliness filled its hallways…" she whispered.

She finally reached the throne room. The king's seat too was monumental, blocky and covered in grim details, like wolfs and other animals carved in the stone. Standing there was a man with a perfectly smooth moustache and a white uniform. "Princess Anna I assume…" he called.

She bowed. "At your service."

"I'm King Albert of the Southern Isles. It is a honour welcoming you in my kingdom." She already knew that Albert was Hans' eldest brother. He was looking at her with eyes that seemed filled with joy. "You wouldn't know, my dear lady, what a pleasure is to have you here! It warms my soul, truly!"

"Thank you, your majesty."

"Shame and guilt have filled my heart and my family since that awful… _incident_ in Arendelle. I hope that your presence here is a sign that you're forgiving my kingdom."

"I never held your nation responsible for what happened, King Albert," she ensure. "Speaking of it, the reason I'm here is…"

"Please, you must have had a rather long journey… we'll have all the time in the world to discuss everything you want at the dining table. Me and my brothers have prepared a great meal in your honour…"

"Oh, you shouldn't had…"

"Nonsense!" he smiled. "_Everybody_ will be happy to meet you…"

* * *

_Nobody_ was happy to meet her.

The dining room of the castle was another cavernous and gloomy hall of stones, the walls decorated with so many dead animals and birds, either skinned, stuffed or decapitated, that Anna had the impression she was eating in a graveyard. She felt embarrassed and uncomfortable, barely touching her fish-based meal. She was the only woman at a table of twelve men, each one of them closed in a stern, impenetrable silence that she had the lingering doubt was caused by her presence. They all looked stiff and annoyed, eating with a detached look, like they were forced to be there. A tense dome of silence surrounded them all and Anna almost didn't want to breath, afraid of breaking it.

"How is your lobster, Madame?" softly asked Albert, at the head of the table, as calm as a man could be. Despite that, the question made her jump. Those had been the first words spoken in at least half an hour.

"D-delicious…" she said almost too rapidly and not entirely convinced, keeping her eyes on the plate. The thing that made her feel worst of all was her position. There were exactly thirteen seats at that table. That meant she surely was stuck on _his_ empty chair. There was no better way to make her lose her appetite.

The king had introduced her to each one of his brothers, and she barely remembered the sudden rush of faces and names, but some ended up stuck in her head. Brother number two was Hermann, sitting at her right. He was a rather piggish and overweight individual that was spending his time stuffing his face with an army of oysters, eating them like candy, loudly sucking them out of their seashells. Every once in a while, she caught him glowering at her for no apparent reason.

Prince number four, Markolf, seemed rude and violent in every single gesture; his chest filled with medals, his hair a convulsed all-black leonine crest. She remembered him most because of a passage in the book.

…_to satisfy her unappeasable carnal famine, the Queen held in her innermost chambers an accursed brothel of personal slaves. The air filled was with the taste of sin, filthiness and fornication of male servants and assassins, as a mountain of thrusting bodies soaked in sweat packed the stone hall. Among them, the hairy ape-like eunuch Markolf ruled supreme…_

An henchmen of the Queen that the prince eventually kills in combat. Between him and Hans, there was surely bad blood running. Then there was prince number five, Otto, who sat in front of her. He too, every once in a while, glanced at her with suspect, but really, the worst part about him was the unbearable cigar he was smoking. The lethal mist he blew in the air was making her feel sick, her eyes all watery and red.

Last, she remembered very well the name of the sixth prince, sitting at her left. Manfred he was, and she immediately disliked him, not because of his behaviour, he had actually been much more elegant than the others, but because of his look. Of all the men, he was the one that resembled Hans the most. Dressed all in black, he had long red hair closed in a ponytail, and his face was really a slightly older and thinner version of the man that played with her head.

"So," started Albert once more. "Arendelle must be beautiful in this time of the year…"

"Yes…" Anna weakly nodded. Maybe if she finished to eat soon, that nightmare would have ended. She forced another forkful of lobster in her teeth and it went down her throat like wood chippings, causing in her the need to drink something. She raised an arm, trying to reach a tankard of water. As soon as her hand appeared in the air, almost every single one of the presents gasped in disbelief, wincing visibly. She blocked herself, frozen in place, suddenly feeling everyone's stare on her. What was going on?!

The only one who didn't react was Manfred himself. Tiredly shaking his head, he talked: "Oh dear, this is getting ridiculous. Listen, if nobody asks her, I'll do it myself…"

"Manfred," the voice of the king became slightly louder. "Don't you dare…"

"Dear princess Anna, you'll notice that my brothers are all rather… rigid, today. The reason is they're all sort of spooked by your presence."

"My presence?" she asked, surprised.

"Can you please reassure them you're not planning on freezing our kingdom?"

"What?! You don't seriously think…" she looked around, holding her breath. They were all intensely staring at her, a mixture of fear and trepidation as they waited the answer. "No!" she gasped. "No! _No!_ I-I don't have any ice powers! That's my sister! I would never…"

An enormous sigh of relief passed throughout the table. Voices came from every side: "Oh thank Christ!" said one. "I was sure she was about to freeze us!" said another. "I almost pissed myself!" commented a third.

Anna was left startled by that reaction. Suddenly each one of the princes started laughing, joking, and they were all more than eager to exchange a few words with her, mostly compliments and not enough subtle hints of flirting. A chorus raised up: "Never I saw so much beauty all in one girl! The eyes of an angel and the skin of a fawn! Can't believe you're not married yet! How long are you staying? Every men in his right mind would die to have your hand! I'll be your guide for city! We'll take a boat through to the northern river…"

The change in atmosphere left her so dizzy that she found herself glad to still hear hostility in the voice of Hermann. "How can we really trust you?" he asked. "Why have you come here anyway, young lady?" closing then his thought, he sucked another oyster, louder than usual, making Anna squirm in disgust.

"Brother!" shouted the king. "You're talking to a princess! A little more respect, please!"

"It's alright," she cleared her throat, trying to sound composed despite the situation. "To tell you the truth, I was looking forward to reach this point. I'm here, because, I would like…" she bit her lip. "No that's not the right word at all… I'm here because I want to meet your brother. Hans."

"Hans?" Prince Otto took the cigar off his mouth, looking honestly confused. "Who is Hans again?"

"The brother we want to forget about," said Markolf, a scornful look on his face.

"Oh, _that_ Hans, right…"

"My lady," chimed in king Albert. "Are you perhaps afraid that he's not being punished like he deserves? I assure you, even thought he's our brother, we most certainly didn't go easy on him."

Manfred snorted, "When did we ever?" he muttered, so softly that Anna almost didn't hear him.

"I'm _sure_ he's paying for his crimes, my lord," she lied, smiling. "I would love to know exactly what is his punishment."

"Well, when he came back, in chains," started explaining the monarch. "And we discovered the atrocious, shameful acts he committed against you and your sister the queen, we banished him from the castle and exiled him on Little Rostrum. It's a small island in our domains. He has been there every single day since his return, with nothing but the bare minimum to live. No servants, no land, no nothing…"

"Oh," Anna frowned. "Really? He never left the island?"

"Of course! And he's not allowed to send mail either. Right Markolf?"

"Uhm…" there was a second of hesitation in the voice of the fourth prince, something that Anna caught immediately. "Yes, yes, of course…"

"Markolf is the commander of our army," proudly commented the king. "He preoccupies himself with keeping a watchful eye on our brother's prison."

"Really?" Anna raised an eyebrow, staring at the dark haired prince. "I would love… no, again, wrong word… I _need_ to meet Hans. Would you allow me to go to this island?"

"I don't see why not," Albert smiled. "We can escort you there!"

For the first time since that feast began, prince Markolf looked agitated. He drummed his fingers on the table, his eyes moving around like he was looking for help. Anna kept glaring at him, but then moved her sight, noticing the quiet chuckle that Manfred was emitting at her side.

"What is going on here?" she asked.

"Uhm," Markolf scratched his cheek. "Hans… he's not on the island anymore."

Albert stared at him perplexed. "You moved him? Without my consent?"

"I didn't move him… he moved himself…"

Anna's eyes turned into cracks of anger. "What?"

"When did this happen?" asked Hermann, finally finishing his meal.

"Roughly…" Markolf huffed, "Sixteen… _months_ ago? A week more, a week less… kind of hard to tell…"

The king went pale for the shock. "What?!"

"Alright, alright he escaped ok?!" the fourth prince threw his hands in the air. "I don't know how he did it, when he did it, but he did it! And I thought, hey, good riddance! We didn't want him anyway! So I didn't say anything! It's not like any of you ever asked how he was!"

"He's right," Otto shrugged. "Good riddance. That ginger brat caused nothing but problems!"

"Wa-wait a second!" the realization hit Anna, "None of you knew?! None of you checked if your brother was still there for more than a year?!"

Manfred smiled "I did."

"Brother!" King Albert couldn't believe his ears. "Why haven't _you_ said anything?!"

"I wanted to, but I thought that maybe you all already knew and were pretending Hans didn't exist anymore, like when were kids."

"Aaaah," Otto blew out another cloud of smoke. "Fun times those… hey, remember when he was six and we convinced him that ha was the son of a peasant?"

"And he went and hid himself in his barn for a week!" stepped in another brother. "Oh, my, the laughs we had…"

They all cheered at that memory, but the fun soon ended, as another brother stood up. "Enough talking about that waste of space of _what's-his-name_! Important matters are to be discussed here! Isn't this the proof we all waited? Once again the incompetency of our brother Markolf has been exposed! I say his position because more puzzling each day!"

The general went up on his feet. "What are you implying Ludwig?!"

"That you have no place being head of our army! It's time for a change of guard here!"

"Over my dead body!" Markolf buried his hand in a bowl filled with caviar and grasped a fist full of the eggs. Immediately, he distended his arm and launched the slimy projectile, hitting Ludwig right in the face, making everybody laugh and applaud.

Anna widened her eyes, not believing that had just happen. "Princess…" she felt Manfred's voice in her ear. "Time to take cover."

"Take wha…"

Came a loud barbaric cry from one of the younger brothers: "_Food war!_"

In a second, the fishes and crustaceans started flying in the air like they magically regained life. Everybody was throwing everything, even the king snarled in anger, grabbing his plate of salmon and launching it in the air, screaming: "We have a guest! _BEHAVE!_"

Anna screeched in terror, as the wall of deadly projectiles passed her from side to side, the entire dining hall reduced to a warzone.

* * *

An hour later, trembling and panting, practically shell-shocked, Anna staggered out of the fortress and into its great garden. Her hair, ruffled and untamed, smelled of codfish and shrimps, and her dress looked like it had been used as a cleaning mop on the floor of a fish market. Her eyes starred in the nothingness for thousands of yards, like she had just seen the depths of evil in the human soul.

On the other hand, despite having lived with her through the battle, Prince Manfred was perfect and sharp as ever, cheerfully whistling as he walked at her side. "You know, you should be honoured," he informed with an amused tone, with a spin of his walking stick. "The great food war of the Southern Isles Princes randomly occurs only once a year. Selected few outside of the family had the privilege of experiencing it on their skin... the battle at Hans' eighteen birthday caused a rather impressive scar on Otto's chest when a pork rib swirled against him."

"I'm… so… _flattered,_" Anna shivered, hugging herself, took aback by a sudden cold sense of horror in remembering what she had just experienced. No fish should ever be used in the ways she had seen. She swore to herself to never touch sea food ever again. "No wonder Hans is a maniac if he grew up in this plac…" she bit her tongue, suddenly regaining her senses. Wiping away a smear of tuna pate pâté from her cheeks she added: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"You're just saying the truth my dear," replied the sixth prince, still smiling. "So, if I may ask, why do you want to meet my brother?"

"It doesn't matter anymore, does it?" she sulked. "Since he's escaped and God knows where he's at…"

Manfred smirked, glaring at her with a smug expression. "You know, I'm sure I could help you find him…"

"What?" she starred back, confused. "How would you?"

They reached the shadow of a great pine, and there took refuge from the hot sun, birds chirped happily in the air giving them a peaceful background. "Come on now, think about it. My brother couldn't really escape his imprisonment alone. Somebody had to help him. Somebody had to pay the guards to close an eye, and have another ship ready for him to sail away from the Southern Isles. And with somebody, I mean me."

"You helped him escape?!" Anna couldn't believe her ears. "Why?!"

"He's my brother, why else?"

"He's a criminal!" she yelled. "He tried to _kill_ my sister and me! He attempted to overthrown Arendelle! How could you help him escape?!"

Manfred puckered his lips, confused. "You seem to have the weird assumptions that I would care about your kingdom… trust me, young princess, I really don't."

"God!" growling, she threw a kick in the grass, sending a pine cone away. "Prince Manfred, is everyone in your family a shifty-eyed snake?!"

He laughed, not at all offended. "More or less. Albert does try to be a nice man, the poor fool… You know, you're interesting," he stretched an arm towards her, removing a crab claw from her hair. "Hans talked to me about you…"

Anna huffed again, disgusted at the idea. "Let me guess, he told you I was a desperate, naïve little idiot that fell for him like nothing…"

Manfred nodded "Exactly. Although, he didn't say idiot, he said imbecile…"

"_Ugh_," anger was turning into frustration. She had been in the Southern Isles for less than half a day, but she already hated the place with every cell of her being.

"And he also said you were awkward, brainless and..."

"Ok, enough!" Anna glared at him. "You said you wanted to help me. You know where he is?"

"Not really. But I think I can give you something to work with… do you really want to know?"

Anna lowered her eyes, studying the grass. A part of her (the one covered in fish guts mostly) wanted to abandon that stupid senseless quest. The other screamed that if she gave up, leaving Hans get away with everything, she would have never live it down.

"Alright," she said. "What can you tell me?"

_End Chapter II_

**Author's note**: my personal set of Southern Isles' princes already appeared in another one of my fanfic, _Hunting Day_, if you're interested at all. I wanted to rewrite Love is an Open Door in purple prose entirely, but I thought it would have gotten old pretty fast. Maybe it will be an extra at the end.

_Toastyann_: oh please, nitpick away! It doesn't matter how many times I reread something, there's always a typo somewhere. Thanks so much for the help. As for the romance part, well, you'll have to wait and see!

_u r awesome_: oh my, you are awesome too my friend.

_Nagasha_: they say the darkest of hearts contain the purest of poetry. No, they don't really say it, but, they should!

_TheElementHero_ & _Converse r life_: much appreciated people! I wasn't 100% sure about that little Elsa line, but I'm happy it worked for all of you.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter III The Only Frozen Heart_

It was a cloudy night, the darkness thicker than usual. Despite that, missing Gustaf Laplaie was almost impossible. The bounty hunter dressed up like the word "inconspicuous" was a man that kicked him in the groin and stole his woman. He looked like a musketeer from the 1600's Paris, garishly covering himself with bright colours, an enormous hat filled with feathers and a gigantic moustache on his thin face. Worst of all, he seemed convinced that the look suited him and his profession. With a little more time, better hunters could be found, but Prince Markolf really couldn't afford to be picky at the moment.

"Listen well," he said, as the two met under an isolated tree at the stroke of midnight. "I'm in serious trouble… if my brother Hans isn't brought back as soon as possible, then I will lose my chair as head of the army!"

"What do you want me to do _monsieur_?" Gustaf wasn't even French, he just liked to pretend.

"The princess Anna… she's looking for him… and I'm pretty sure my brother Manfred put her on the right track, that filthy lying weasel… you'll follow her. Find my brother and bring him back… alive, if you can. Not a necessity either way."

"I'll do as you ask _mon commandant_… but I'll need _préventive_ payment to afford the travels costs…"

"Sure, whatever," the prince threw him a small sack of gold coins. "And for god's sake Gustaf, try, _try_ to not stand out too much…"

* * *

Anna had no idea who was that faux-french guy with the absurd rainbow coloured suit of clothes, but he was trying so hard to pretend to be a member of her crew that she didn't have the heart to actually ask him anything. Everyone was pretty much doing the same thing, acting like he had always been there, shaking their hands in disbelief as he mopped the main deck by himself, whistling an innocent tune.

"This travel is getting too weird for my tastes…" muttered the princess, looking at the sea. When still in the Southern Isles, she had sent a letter back to Arendelle, informing that her stay would have been slightly longer than anticipated. What she didn't mention was her taking the ship even further south, towards the European continent.

"The last time I had news from him," had explained Manfred. "He told me that he was staying in the city of Rothering, in the north of the German Confederation, not too far from the Netherlands' frontier. It was still barely four months after he escaped, but you could check there…"

And so, she had ordered her ship to move again, following that cold track. At times she felt like she was wasting her time chasing ghosts, but compulsively rereading the novel was what gave her the strength to go on. He needed to face judgment to blight the planet with that monstrosity. What disturbed her the most were the sex scenes. Oh dear, the sex scenes… there were way too many, and way too long, he practically used them to pad out the flimsy plot. The first one occurred in the time span between their marriage proposal and the hunt for the Queen's blessing. It lasted _twenty_ pages. Twenty entire pages of nothing but filthy, dirty, rough, flowery sex.

_And at that moment, Veronica blossomed like a butterfly out of a shell of repression and fear. She removed her green dress creating a blot of grass on the sand of the seashore. There she stood unclothed as Eve in her first breathing day in the Garden of Eden, her reddish lips curled in a eager leer. "Not a thing I have power over other than my own body. As such, to you that awards me with the gift of love, I donate to you my very being and all then most intimate folds of my skin…"_

"You little worm…" she chewed angrily. She felt ready to throw up, and it wasn't the rough seas. Maybe somebody else could enjoy it, but she was simply unable to. All she could imagine was Hans, luridly sitting at a desk, writing down all that perverted stuff with her in mind. Plus, the sick games he came up in the book… obviously fantasy. No way a body could… _ugh_. How did he even imagined stuff like that?!

In three more days, they reached the shores of Rothearing, a rather lively and large commercial town. Seeing the size of the place, Anna's stubbornness received another heavy blow. How exactly was she planning to find him in there anyway? Well, her first manoeuvre was locating a book shop. If Hans had written the novel, maybe he managed to survive working in one of them, learning the art? It was a stretch, but it was her only hook.

Asking about a redheaded man named Hans didn't brought anything to the sun, so she started searching Johannes Liebe, but that moniker only produced one phrase: "Oh, I'm so sorry my lady, _Love is an Open Door_ already sold out… you can come back in about a week and we'll have replenished our stocks…"

Trying as hard as she could not to scream, she moved alone along the streets. After wandering aimlessly for hours, she started imagining herself going back to Arendelle, defeated and humiliated, her sister Elsa muttering something along the lines of "_I told you it was useless, now give me back that book"_. But faith and destiny were playing dirty tricks on her. She was walking past a theatre, giving the posters a quick glance and proceeded, when suddenly—the image and words slashed into her head.

"Wait, what?" she went back running, staring again in disbelief at the playbill. The silhouettes of a man and a woman kissing, a blue cold background...

_TONIGHT! The Rothearing's Actors Union proudly presents their most celebrated work: THE FROZEN HEART! A dramatic tale of love, hate and redemption!_

"No…" _The Frozen Heat_. "No… no, no, no!" Could it be?! It couldn't be! No, it must have been! Was it him? Or wasn't it? By that point, she simply grabbed her hair and launched a loud howl towards the sky.

That night, she went back the theatre, wearing a rather elegant blue dress, her hair tidily entangled around her head. She was perhaps too elegant, having seriously overestimated the general level of the rest of the audience. It was a low profile theatre, visited mostly by middle class citizens all covered in greyish anonymous suits of clothes. And there she was, stepping out of a magical dance ball from the aristocracy. She forced herself to keep her chin up and don't let the numerous stupefied looks get the best of her.

The inside of the theatre was rather shabby and filled with the stench of cigarettes. It seemed everyone was smoking, including the two ushers, a couple of rather burly thugs that would have seemed more appropriate in a back alley, stabbing somebody in the back.

"Stay calm Anna," she said to herself, trying to look for an isolated seat. She quietly waited the beginning of the show, asking herself what was she about to get into. Another bastardized version of her life? Another insulting spectacle inspired by Elsa? No. To her surprise, when the it started, she realized it had nothing to do with her.

Yes, the fact that the villain was a woman called _Anna_belle made her violently clench her fingers against the fabric of her skirt, but the more the story progressed, the more she believed the title was just a coincidence. It was the tale of a sad but honest commoner, that after the death of his father started travelling to find a new meaning for his life. The frozen heart was a figure of speech to describe his miserable mood after the dramatic experience. Desperate for love, he fell infatuated for a woman that only used him to commit a crime. It was actually a rather interesting story, competently acted, there were some sad songs and Anna almost cried a few times.

But then it happened. They reached the climax, the villainess revealed her true motifs and mocked the hero once more, declaring: "You will never know love, as no one will ever love an heart that is frozen!"

The male lead turned around, looked at the woman and shouted back, triumphantly: "The only frozen heart around here is yours!"

"Ah…" Anna boggled, her eyes ready to explode out of her head. She bit her lower lip with enough strength to cut it off. In the meantime, the crowd was cheering for that snappy comeback. Hearing this, a sudden rush of pure insanity took control of her body. She jumped upright, screaming at the top of her lungs: "_That's my line!_"

Every one present, actors included, started staring at her, silence filling the entire hall. She kept screaming, "That's my line! _My line!_ He stole it from me!" when the two burly ushers grabbed her and pulled her out of the theatre. Kicking and yelling, out of her mind, she tried to fight them off before being thrown in the street.

* * *

"You're the most desperate woman I've ever seen…"

There was a pub near by the theatre, and Anna stammered inside of it seeking solace and refuge inside of a glass. She was leaned at the counter, sobbing, and the bartender was there, rewarding her with a pitiful look.

"Why do you say that?" she asked melancholically.

"I've seen tons of men and women coming here late at night, drowning their sorrow into alcohol. But you're the first trying to drown them in plain water," he shook his head. "That's really, _really_ sad."

"Please sir, just fill my glass again and don't comment…"

"I think you had enough water for tonight…"

"I'll tell you when I had enough! Another glass!"

Sighing with a tragic tone, he took again the pitcher and filled her goblet, that she swallowed in with a single gulp. At that point, the door of the pub swung open, and inside came a rather thin man in bourgeois' clothes. He took off his hat, and moved towards the counter. "I'm sorry, miss? Can I have your name?"

Anna looked at him, caught off-guard. "Uhm…" she straighten her back and readjusted her hair, trying to look a little less messy. "I-I'm Anna… and you…"

"You can call me Joseph… I'm the director of the Rothearing's Actors Union. I was in the theatre tonight and I…"

She flustered, red as a tomato, bowing her head. "I'm sorry… so, so very sorry… I don't know what hit me, I swear…"

"No, do not worry. Actually, I came in to apologize," he sat at her side and ordered a glass of wine before continuing. "Our ushers can be rather unpleasant. I hope you're not injured."

"Not at all. And they were only doing their job, I'm the one who got all," she shook her head and hissed. "Crazy-mad in there… really it's my fault."

"You said something interesting," he noted with intrigued eyes. "That's my line. He stole it from me... Miss Anna, I'm the head writer of our group, I wrote _The Frozen Heart_, I assure you, I never steal my works…"

That was her chance. She smiled. "You're right. You don't steal. But that one line, the one about the only frozen heart. Did you came up with it or something inspired you?"

He massaged his chin. "To tell you the truth, indeed, another man suggested that particular pieces of dialogue."

"A young man with red hair and sideburns?"

"Oh yes," he nodded. "Do you know him?"

She didn't answer, asking instead: "What can you tell me about him?"

"Well, he arrived in the city at the end of last year, and we hired him for a couple of shows. He was a rather good dancer and singer, so he filled nicely a lot of our roles. He said his name was Johannes."

"I'm sure he did…" yes, _yes_! She was so close she could smell that rotten bastard. "Tell me more! Is he still in the city?"

"I can't say it with certainty," the man tasted his wine before talking once more. "If you know him, you'll remember he was a rather attractive young fellow. Well, he made a strong impression on one of our recurring guests at the shows. Countess Veronica Wahnsinn…"

"Veronica," she muttered. Like the princess in the book. "So, what happened then?"

"Well, to put it simply, she took him under her wing and brought him to live with her. He didn't need to work for us anymore, so we never saw him again… a shame really, he had such a charming personality that boy…"

Anna twirled her nose, resisting the urge of making a snarky remark. "This countess," she asked anxiously. "Where I can find her? I need to meet her!"

He dubiously glanced at her, informing: "She has a rather large villa and park just on the outskirts of town. But I… I don't know if you really _want_ to visit the countess…"

"Why wouldn't I want to?" she asked curiously.

"Well she's quite… _odd_?"

Anna laughed, shaking her head. "Oh trust me, I've seen enough oddities in my life… I don't think I'll have a problem with her…"

* * *

"This was a _terrible_ mistake," Anna softly mumbled.

Early the following day, she had sent one of her sailors to deliver a massage to the countess, asking for a private meeting. In less than an hour, a positive answer came, and the princess immediately headed for the noblewoman's villa. Her mansion was surrounded by a tall bushes and situated practically on the banks of a river. It was coloured with a bright, blinding yellow and a rather large number of alienating angels statues filled its rooftop. But that wasn't the disturbing detail. Once Anna passed the immense golden gate, she glanced around and trembled.

An army of poodles filled the garden, their fur so elaborately shaved that they didn't look like dogs anymore, but weird, creepy creatures from a far away land. They were accompanied by swan, dozens, and the two white platoons of animals seemed to coexist peacefully together, standing around the grass like inanimate statues. Anna started counting them, just out of curiosity, but quickly stopped, gulping in terror. The _creatures_ were staring at her, their cold black eyes following every single one of her movements. She proceed, stiff and awkward, trying to _not_ make eye contact.

The countess was waiting for her, standing still in front of the house. Anna didn't really know what to expect her to look like, and she was surprised to find a rather attractive and statuesque woman in her thirties, a river of gorgeous black hair accentuating her pale complexion, plump lips and blue eyes. She did looked like the princess from the book, and this somehow made Anna even angrier. Not only did Hans stole and manipulated her story, he also had the audacity to _replace_ her? Seriously, how low could he get?

There was something unsettling about the woman though. She just starred and smiled softly, eyes wide open, almost incapable of changing expression. Her voice was low, gentle but chilling: "Welcome in my humble quarters. I'm Countess Veronica Wahnsinn."

"Princess Anna of Arendelle," she bowed. "Thank you for seeing me…"

"I never _had_ a princess before…"

Anna frowned at that phrase. Veronica just kept glaring at her, but then, after a few rather oppressing moments, repeated: "I never had a princess before _as a guest_."

"Ooh, yes, of course," Anna cleared he throat, once more regretting her course of action. "Well, Countess, I'm here…"

"Please," Veronica interrupted, lifting a hand. "No way that women of our status and beauty should talk standing like soulless, smelly peasants. We will have brunch in the gazebo."

Anna winced. After the _party_ with the Hans' brothers, she didn't feel comfortable accepting such proposals from strangers. As gently as she could, she said: "Actually, with all due respect Countess, I'm kind of in a hurry and I was hoping we could…"

"_We_," the voice of the Countess became slightly louder, her eyes even wider, "_will have brunch in the gazebo. Now._"

"Y-yes!" Anna clumsily faked happiness. "Of course! What a l-lovely idea!"

Veronica smiled again. She took the princess at her side, leading Anna arm in arm across the garden, venturing between bushes trimmed to look like unicorns. Always they were under the ever-watchful eye of Veronica's terrifying dogs and birds, that kept slowly turning their heads. As they walked, the woman talked again: "My slaves have prepared a great feast…We'll have tea, cake, pork and more beef, chocolate filled brioches and mustard… I love mustard. It's yellow."

"Yes… yes it is," Anna said, before frowning. "I'm sorry, your _what-now_ prepared the feast?"

"My servants," the Countess sweetly smiled at her. "_Servants_ is what I said."

"Oh, of course…" weird, she was sure to have heard something different.

The gazebo was actually quite lovely, all painted in white with three comfy seats around a small table. It had been richly laden with all sorts of stuff. Anna took her position, and despite the odd behaviour of the noblewoman, she felt a little bit better. Smiling, she pointed at one of the brioches, already smelling the chocolate. "So, can I…?"

"Eat as much as you like my dear," the Countess was already pouring cups of tea two for them. "Whatever you see you can have."

"Much appreciated," Anna took one of the brioches and took a bite. She winced, leaving out a moan, abandoning immediately the pastry. "What the…?!" Whining in pain, she had to put a finger between her lips to ensure herself that no teeth was broken.

The countess looked at her. "Something's wrong?"

Shocked, Anna declared: "These brioches as hard as _bricks_!"

"Is this bad?"

"Uhm…" Anna frowned. "K-kind of?"

"I see. I'll take note," the countess smiled tenderly, offering her a cup. "Drink this, it will make everything better."

Anna carefully tasted the tea, immediately holding back a disgusted scowl. It was bitter and foul almost like lamp oil, or like they used salt instead of sugar.

The other woman was drinking it without flinching. "Delicious, isn't it?"

"Uhm…" Anna tearfully took another sip, just to save the appearances. "Marve-l-lous…"

Veronica reached the table and lifted a plate, offering her guest a piece of a tart, coloured with a toxic mucus-like green. "Have a slice of grape cake…"

By that point convinced that everything was inedible, Anna awkwardly shook her hands, replying: "Thanks but no, you're so kind but I really …"

The countess kept staring, immovable: "_Have a slice of grape cake_…"

"W-well if you insist!" Anna chuckled, terrified. "Grape is my favourite!" she kindly grabbed the dish and tasted the pastry. It was unforgivably sour, unripe, like it had been made with rotten grapes, but she forced herself to smile as the Countess kept looking inquisitively at her, seemingly unaware of the concept of blinking.

"Isn't it _great_?" she asked.

"Uh-uh..." Anna nodded, taking another mouthful. She rubbed her stomach, pretending to be enjoying herself, leaving out a moan: "Mhmmm. So good it hurts…"

Veronica tilted her head. "You like it. This makes me happy."

"I'm happy… that you're happy, countess," Anna put away the plate and washed the horrifying taste with a sip of tea, but that of course was a mistake. Tears in her eyes, she forced herself to swallow the abhorrent mass, taking then a deep breath.

"You're crying? Is something wrong?"

"It's just," Anna placed a hand over her mouth, keeping back down her throat a goblet of bile. "Ev-everything is s-so good… it makes me cry…of j-joy…"

"You honour me," For a second she thought the countess was trying to kill her, but the bizarre woman was eating the same cake and drinking the same tea like they were the most delicious creations on earth. "You should try the pork," she cordially advised. "Put some mustard on it. It's yellow."

"Maybe later," Anna cleared her throat, a forced another smile on her face. "Countess thank you for your… h-hospitality, but now I would like to ask a couple of questions…" she rubbed her watery eyes.

"Go ahead. Ask away. I like to talk…" she said that while biting without a hint of hesitation the stone-hard brioches. When she chewed them, they sounded exactly like rocks getting grinded.

"Well, you see, I'm looking for a man…"

"I like men. And I like women." She smiled. "You're pretty. I like your dress."

"Uhm, I… t-thanks…" Anna stuttered for a second, before continuing. "This man… he's pretty young, redheaded, with sideburns…"

Veronica cooed. "I like sideburns. On men they're good. Not on women thought."

"Yes I-I guess… He goes by the name of Johannes Liebe."

"_Ah!_ Johannes…" the Countess moved her head with snappy movements, like a bird, watching in the distance. "My sweat sideburn-biscuit…"

"So you know him…"

"He stayed with me for half a year," she left out a enamoured breath. "He brought such joy in my heart. I'll never forget him. He was such a noble, humble spirit, such poetry in his soul and mind. The one between us was really true love."

"Oh dear," Anna rubbed her forehead.

"Sometimes there was even just _too much_ passion in his body. So I encouraged him to write, to vent it out…"

"_Love is an Open Door_…" Anna glared at her once more. "He wrote that book hasn't it? He wrote it here?"

"Indeed he did. You read it? Such an outstanding love story…"

"Yes, well I…"

"_Aaaah_, Johannes," she practically moaned. "He had the good looks of my first husband, the charm of my third, the wit and intelligence of my sixth and the sexual prowess of number eight… I gave him great inspiration for the writing of the book, all the scenes of spicy intercourse. We did it everywhere, every day, every hour, in every position,…"

"Countess," the princess stiffened on her seat. "This is not something I want to hear…"

"You wouldn't believe the ways he _bent_ me on that chair you're sitting on…"

Hearing that, Anna screeched in horror and disgust, jumping on her feet and landing on the second empty chair. The countess didn't seem to be bother by that sudden reaction, and kept on sipping her tea. On her new position, the princess trembled in revulsion, as a realization hit her: "Wait… _inspiration_? You two… all that stuff in the book… is something you two did together?!"

"Oh, yes, of course. Every single wonderfully promiscuous little word of it…"

"B-bu-but… the thing with the… and the fist in the… and the hooks, and the candles and the…" an awful and terrifying series of mental images flashed before Anna's eyes, stabbing her like knives, making her squirm and whine on her chair. "_Oh… oh ough oh my goddeness, no!_"

Still smiling, Veronica simply rolled her eyes, muttering: "_Virgins_. How entertaining. And arousing. Did I mentioned I like your dress? It's pretty."

"I'm not a…" Anna shook her head. "Enough! _Enough_ of this! I need to find him! I need to know where he is! Doesn't he still live here?"

"No, unfortunately. When he completed that masterpiece, we both realized he needed to follow his own road. We went our separate ways," the Countess lovely sighed. "A dear friend of mine owns a publishing company in London. I sent my beloved sideburn-biscuit there to find success and glory," while she was still smiling, a solitary tear appeared out of nowhere and ran down her porcelain cheek. "_Oooh Johannes_… how I miss you… never I felt so sad since my eight husband died… no other noble steed made me gallop like you."

Anna narrowed her eyes. "What's the name of this publisher?"

"Horatio Wellwords," the Countess finished her tea. "Works in Soho. He was good too in bed. Not as good. But they both have freckles. Like you. I like freckles."

"Ok, yes…" the princess put away the half finished tea. "I think I'm done here…"

"But…" looking sad, Veronica took another plate, showing off some nasty looking shreds of meat. "You didn't taste the pork. Put some mustard on it. It's yellow."

"Countess," Anna looked at her with serious eyes. "With all due respect, I don't want to taste the pork! I don't want to taste the mustard! I didn't want to taste anything of this atrocious meal!"

"Ouh?"

"And another thing!" Anna kept barking, blowing out the anger and frustration of two whole weeks of madness. "That man you love so much is nothing but a murderous, treacherous, lying, arrogant _buffoon_ that never truly cared about you! He used you, like he uses everybody else, to get money and power, and now he probably forgot about your existence! I hope you realize that!"

Veronica barely blinked. "Princess Anna… you have one minute."

"Ah?"

"You have one minute to leave my property," her motionless smile and eyes were a mask of pure madness. "Then, I will snap my fingers. When that happens, my poodles and my swans will _hunt you down_."

Anna paled. After a few seconds, she attempted to laugh: "Ah..ah…ahah…y-you're so very funny c-countess, I w-was just…" she stopped, looking around. The animals had silently surrounded the gazebo, motionlessly waiting. Her jaw fell open. "Oh god…"

The smile of the noblewoman barely moved as she muttered: "Thirty seconds…"

Anna squeaked, grabbed her dress and started running. As she abandoned the gazebo, Veronica loudly announced: "_Ten seconds._"

Anna ran among the animals, trying to reach the gate. Then she heard the snapping of fingers. She gulped in terror, as a couple of rather bulky swans moved like trained soldiers, cutting off her escape route. "You got to be kidding me!" desperate, she looked around, poodles and birds closing in, _both_ groups barking ferociously.

Anna screamed, launching herself towards a tall tree in the garden. Without a hint of hesitation she jumped against the trunk and started climbing it, as a poodle snapped its jaws and ripped away a chunk of her skirt. Ignoring it, she kept rising, panting and gasping, moving towards a tree branch that surpassed the high wall-bushes, her only possibility at the moment. She grabbed the wooden limb and started crawling around it, hugging it like a snake, sure that the beasts couldn't reach her there.

Then she heard it. Turning her head, she watched, as a large swan landed on top of the three branch, just behind her. "Oh right…" she whispered. "They can fly…"

Anna kept moving, trembling, as the animal crept closer, glowering at her. "G-good little swan," she sweetly whispered. "Pretty-pretty swan… please be good…"

The bird launched its neck and grabbed with its beak her right shoe, making her shriek. She restlessly moved the leg, trying to kick it away, and the feathered monster managed to steal the precious moccasin. Ignoring the loss, Anna kept crawling, when suddenly, another loud sound filled her ears. Something started cracking, and the tree branch violently vibrated. "Oh dear…" She took one last glance of the garden. Countess Veronica was there, still smiling. She lifted a hand in the air and waved at her.

Then the branch abruptly snapped. Anna fell down outside of the park, screaming in terror. The water of near by the river was what saved her life that day.

_End Chapter III_

**Author's Note:** thanks again for the comments (Toastyann, TheElementHero and helium-kiss) and the growing followers. If things keep going with this pace, this fic should ed up being eight chapters long + an eventual special chapter. Next part will be a major moment. Hope you enjoyed , thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter IV Party in the UK_

The library was warmly lit by the fireplace. Comfortably sitting on her chair, Elsa raised her head and watched as her sister slowly walked in the room, looking defeated. "So?" she asked, interrogatively.

"Johannes Liebe is a redheaded man with sideburns that has nothing to do with Hans. It was all a huge waste of time…" Anna sat in front of the sister, face red with humiliation. "How stupid I was… so obsessed with finding that bastard. I haven't changed a bit since the first time I met. I'm an idiot…"

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Elsa tenderly smiled. "I have great news that I'm sure will cheer you up…"

"What is it?" Anna was intrigued.

"I discovered that I have the power to _create swans out of thin air!_"

Anna looked at her, stupefied. "What?!"

Elsa opened her arms, and a flock of swans materialized around her. She laughed maniacally: "_From now on I'll be the Swan Queen! The entire world will bow before me! AHAHAHAHA!_"

"_NOOO!_" Anna screamed in terror, almost crying, as the army of birds overwhelmed her. All of a sudden, a strong thumping sound filled her ears. She opened her eyes, finding the world surrounded by darkness. Rising her head, gasping for air, she realized she was in a bed, enveloped by a prison of blankets. She looked around, and recognized her personal cabin, messy and devastated. Was it just a dream? More like an horrifying _nightmare_…

"My lady?" the voice and knocking of a sailor came from outside her locked door. "Princess, we heard you screaming! Is everything alright?"

"The swans!" she yelled, hiding herself once more under the covers. "Are the swans gone?!"

"Uhm… yes?"

"Where are we?" she cried.

"We're navigating the Thames… we will arrive in the middle of London soon enough…"

"Are there swans in London?" she asked with a terrified whine.

"Ah, well, I…" the voice of the sailor trembled with uncertainty. "I think that if you avoid the parks, you should be just fine…"

Anna took two hours to step out of her cabin. The first she spent it telling herself that there were no swans under her bed, waiting to grab her feet, the second was needed to tame her rebellions crown of hair and threw on herself a dress. Once she stepped out, London welcomed her. It was her first time in there, but she had always admired its monuments and great palaces through the books of her library back home. It was a beautiful city, but the air had a scent of industrial smoke and the sky wasn't as shiny as she would have wanted it.

Anna was tired, that had been the longest, most relentless trip she had ever been on. Simply put, she wasn't used to all those days at sea and all those foreign places. Yet, she felt close, very close at her final target. She stood quietly, waiting for the chance to descend, as the ship stopped on the docks through the Thames. At her side, was the captain of the vessel. She looked at him: "We need to fix an appointment with the publisher. We should send one of the sailors to find him, and…"

Suddenly, somebody reached her from behind: "_S'il vous plait, mademoiselle_."

She turned her head, still shocked in seeing the faux-french guy and his ridiculous moustache and suit. "Y-yes?"

"I can be your _ambassadeur_. You know me, I'm trustworthy," he smiled sardonically. "_Oui?_"

"O-oui," she shook her head. "I mean, yes…"

"So, where is my target… I mean, where is the _éditeur?_"

She studied him, trying to understand if that guy was seriously thinking she would fall for that, or he was really that damn dense. "Sorry, what's your name again?" she asked.

He winced for a fraction of a second before declaring: "I'm…Mann… Fromarendelle…"

"Oh, of course," she nodded. "Mr. Fromarendelle, thank you for offering yourself. We're looking for a book publisher named… James Johns who works in the outskirts of town. I'll be more than happy to send you as my personal messenger."

"I'm on it _mon ami_," and he moved, descending the ship, immediately running away from the docks.

Anna sighed, watching him go. "Ok, that was easy enough…" she turned to the captain. "We better move the ship before he comes back…"

* * *

Horatio Wordswell owned a rather large building in red bricks that rightly smelled of ink and paper. Anna managed to obtain an appointment for that day, attentively selecting a time slot that wouldn't coincide with breakfast, brunch, lunch or anything else. Yet, when she entered the man's study, she found him eating a sandwich and for a second she shivered in fright. But he didn't seem the type to share. He finished his meal, dabbing his mouth with a tissue before looking at her: "Princess Anna?"

"It's me…"

He did not stood up, he did not offer a hand or anything. He simply motioned to a small seat and she took her place in front of his gigantic desk. The office was a cube of wood with green wallpaper, a couple of shelves filled with books and way too many nude paintings covering the walls. Unsurprisingly she immediately felt uncomfortable. Still, she tried to keep smiling, a burning desire inside of her of finishing that quest as soon as possible.

"The princess of Arendelle …" he looked at her dubiously. "I've never even heard of Arendelle before. Is it even a real place? Sounds made up."

"Yes, it's a real place..."

He nodded, still seemingly unconvinced. Anna studied him. He was in his early forties, and maybe in the past he was an attractive man, but now the weak eyes, wrinkled brow and balding head made him look rather anonymous.

"I mostly accepted to meet you because of this title of yours. _Princess_ I mean. It better be a real place."

"It's real," she replied again, forcing to smile. "I have a couple of questions…"

"What can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for a writer that you have published. I need to meet him, and it's really, really important that I succeed in doing so."

"Oh? And who would this be?"

She cleared her throat, reciting: "Johannes Liebe."

At that name, Wordwell snorted abruptly, rolling his eyes. "Of course you want to meet him," he tiredly spat, scowling. "Who doesn't? He's the most desired bachelor of London. Must be the sideburns," he caressed his cheeks. "Maybe I should grow sideburns…"

Those words actually gave her a lot of energy. He was in London. She couldn't give up. "I _need_ to meet him."

"And I don't see why I should help you," snidely replied the man. "You think you're the first crazy stalker that wants a personal encounter with the Liebe? Ever since he wrote his first book, it's been nothing but letters and letters of women begging him to have _private chats_ with him… not that he minds, but it's always me that ends up being his human agenda…"

"There's no chance you can give me something?"

He rolled his eyes again, folding his arms. "I could tell you that there will be a party tomorrow night. Classy stuff. He will be there surely. But one needs to be invited…"

Anna smiled. "Can I be invited?"

He laughed. "Woman, you're spunky, I like that, but I can't just invite the first random _princess_ that barges into my office… If you were a published writer or one of my clients, I could even consider it, but you…"

"I," interrupted her, talking as fast as she could. "Am a writer! And in fact, I came her to propose you a book! A book that I wrote! Because I'm a writer!"

The man frowned. "Oh really? And what is it about?"

"What is it about…" Anna bit her tongue. She didn't really thought that thing through. She stammered, trying to come with something on the spot: "Ah, uh, oh… It's a s-story of course… it has a beginning a middle part and an ending… there're dialogues here and there and stuff happens…"

He nodded. "Can you be more precise?"

Anna curled her lips. "Uhm ha… the hero is a…a man named… uhm… _Kristoff!_" yes, yes, that was a good idea. "Who is tall, big and blonde and he has a reindeer named Sven… and they live lots of crazy adventures in a magic ice kingdom… it's called… _The Crazy Adventures of Kristoff and Sven the Reindeer in the Magic Ice Kingdom!_"

Wordswell didn't seem overly convinced. His chin on a fist, he commented: "My dear, what kind of lamebrained book is this?"

"A-a… children's book?"

"A children's book? You're joking?" he gasped, looking downright offended. "Children don't read books, children are _stupid! _Give me one good reason why I should publish this thing!"

"Well…" she coughed, embarrassed. Taking another glance at the countless nude paintings, she talked: "Kristoff m-meets a really n-nice girl and… they s-sleep together?"

The man eyes lit like a fire. He jumped on his feet, slamming his hands against the desk: "_Brilliant!_" he screamed, overjoyed. "Does she sleep with the reindeer to?"

Anna almost chocked on air. "God, _no!_"

"Then we'll have to remove the reindeer, there's no point to it… we'll call it _The Illicit Tales of Kristoff!_ The new erotic sensation that will sweep across London! When can you give me the manuscript?"

"U-uhm-hm… I'll…I"

"Wait, wait! Before publishing we'll have to add a few more things …" he sat on his desk and started numbering the orders on his fingers. "Number one, a single girl is too little. Have at least four or five. They don't have to sleep all with Kristoff you can put somebody else in it. Number two, one of them must be married, so we get an adultery story thrown in the middle, that always help. Number three, to appeal to a wider audience I need some forepl…"

Shivering horrified, Anna interrupted him: "Ok, w-wait, I think I got it… now… about this party…"

* * *

It was a lovely night, it reminded Anna of Elsa's coronation. A band was providing a nice background with some elegant music, lots of men and women formally and beautifully dressed filled the ambiance with quiet, friendly chatting. Apparently it was some sort of charity event, hosted by a noble in the great hall of his old palace, a large white room with its walls decorated in amber and gold.

Still in her blue dress, Anna tried to avoid the midst of the crowd, keeping herself close to the buffet table. She wanted to have a good view of the entire place, as well as staying close to the pyramid of chocolates that towered over the rest of the food. Every once in a while, she took the little sweets and stuffed them in her mouth, using a reddish-pink fan to hide her working jaws. There was still no trace of Hans, and she had been there for an hour already. She took another chocolate, steadily growing frustrated.

"If you keep eating those, you'll grow fat…"

Anna gasped in surprise, as another woman appeared behind her back. A blonde girl maybe slightly older than her, closed in a pink dress that made her look like a candy envelope. "I…" Anna didn't really know what to say.

"Are you of London? I've never seen you before…" she commented, with a detached look.

"No, I'm… I'm from outside… Arendelle…"

The woman pouted. "Are-what? Is it in Wales?"

"Actually it's another state."

"Ooh. Very outside then…" she smiled. "Enjoying the party?"

Anna quietly nodded. "N-not bad. Nice music…"

The other chuckled. "You're here for him too, right?"

"Uhm," she glared at her, afraid of those words. "Him?"

"Oh come on, no need to play dumb with me dear lady," she started giggling. "Everyone is here for him. But he always keeps people waiting. He's so different from all the other gentlemen around town and… _oh!_"

The princess followed the girl's eyes, noticing a series of women, some young some less, suddenly starting to quiver, as a new figure entered the hall. Anna raised her fan, hiding the lower side of her mouth, and she finally saw him.

There he was, Johannes Liebe… formally Hans of the Southern Isles. Impeccably dressed in a dark suit that covered a elegant poet blouse, with a single touch of colour added by a blood red scarf. He marched in the room with boots so shiny, a person could see their image reflect on them. Anna studied him, noticing his secure walk, his friendly yet cunning smile. He had changed, not much, but he was definitely different. His hair was a bit longer, so much so that he could have easily closed it in a ponytail, and he had lost some weight, enough for the boyish young man that enchanted her to be replaced by a much more sharp-looking and sly figure. It made him look more mature, even more predatory. It suited his real personality, she angrily thought.

He exchanged a few words with a couple of men, shook a hand or two, his palms still covered in white gloves. As he approached the buffet he found himself immediately surrounded by a cluster of coquettish women that he welcomed with a dreamy smile. They all seemed smitten by his presence. Anna took a deep breath, crushing down all her rage inside her chest. She bit one last piece of chocolate to give herself energy and carefully moved close to the group, trying not to attract too much attention.

A young woman was talking: "Oh, Mr. Liebe, you have to tell us, are you working on a new book?"

"Indeed I am…" hearing his voice after all that time gave Anna a very weird, very puzzling chill down her spine. She didn't knew how to interpret it. He was talking in a tone that was a poisonous mixture of the gentle whisper that seduced her and the low menacing voice that left her to die.

"I'm afraid it won't be too similar to _Open Door_, I'm sorry," a slight moan of displeasure from the group. "It will still be a sort romance though. The story of a man... a man of great ambition, trying to achieve his destiny, forced into a battle against the elements themselves…"

"Is it your story, my lord?" asked another woman, producing a series of flirty laughs.

Hans craftily smiled, looking as dashing as ever. "My dear, there's a piece of my soul in every word I put down on the paper." That phrase made the entire group coo, and Anna was there, gritting her teeth behind the fan, not believing how easily all those women were buying his pretentious crap.

She took a deep breath, then closed her fan. Smiling, she made her presence known, talking was a secure voice, attracting attention to herself: "A piece in every word, you say?"

They turned to look at her, Hans as well. She continued, smiling: "One can only wonder, how much truth there is in your work? How much of what you put on the paper is reality, and how much is lies?"

He raised an eyebrow, and kept smiling. "Milady, all fiction is a lie. And at the same time, once it's written, it's all true in its own way." And that was it. Another woman obtained his attention, and soon enough they moved him closer to the table, starting to drink wine.

Anna watched him go. On the outside she seemed calm, but in the inside, she was devastated. He had looked at her, barely changing his expression, answering her question with some flowery faux-poetic nonsense and then he went away. He… _he didn't remember her?_ He had forgot? No… no, no, it couldn't be! He had wrote a whole damn book about her! She wasn't changed that much, was she? Her hair… had she tangled them in a way that made her unrecognizable? No, no, she actually forced herself to make the same braids of the first day they met… he really… it was only a year and a half… there was no way, no way in hell, heaven or earth…

She gazed at him, in the distance. He was laughing and joking and winking and enjoying the company all the brainless ladies surrounding him, gently whispering flirty comments and reciting short poems to each one of them. He was playing with them all, treating them like toys. Treating them the same way he had treated her.

Suddenly, Anna felt a violent rush of nausea. She felt like suffocating, her face hot and red for the humiliation. She had travelled all across Europe to face him, and he looked at her with the same interest he would have given to a wall. She stumbled across the dance floor, gasping, and out into a hallway. In the darkness, she followed the glowing light of the full moon until she reached a balcony, where she started avidly taking in the cold air of the night.

How stupid had she been! How unbelievably dumb! What was she going to do now? Go back to Arendelle and tell Elsa she had failed because she hadn't found him or that she had failed because she wasn't even able to attract his attention?! Spending endless minutes alone under the white light, she stared at the moon, sure that she would have cried out of anger and fury. But then it happened.

A large glass of wine appeared on the balcony's parapet. Anna gazed upon it, and followed the arm that had just laid there the goblet. Gloved hand, dark suit, red scarf… Hans was at her side, a glass of his own in his right hand. He looked at her with no real expression, took a deep sip of wine and sighed. "Really now," he started. "When I imagined all the people that I could have encountered in London, your face never came up once in my mind... Anna."

Anna's hand moved on her own. She struck him across his face, in the most violent and angry slap she had ever thrown. He left out a subdued howl, squeezing his eyelids.

After a second, he looked back at her, still smiling. "I suppose…" he moaned, touching the reddened cheek. "That I should be happy it wasn't another punch?"

"Yes," she hissed, practically panting. "You did… recognize me then."

"Aren't I a great actor?" he smirked. "I didn't really mean to upset you, I just thought it wouldn't have been nice to ignore all the others ladies."

"I'm not upset," she growled.

"If you say so," he took another sip of wine, savouring it. "This is really good. You should try it."

Anna grabbed her glass, not really to drink it but to keep her hands occupied. Every word he spew made her want to hit him more.

"You're as beautiful as I remembered," he said, graciously. "And I'm being honest here… have you got taller? It seems so..."

"_You_ being _honest_… that's a nice one," she didn't even want to register that compliment in her head. "What honest man goes around with a false name? And Johannes Liebe? Where does that come from?"

"Liebe means _love_ in German," he cheerfully remarked. "Doesn't it suits me?"

"No," she snarled. "Now, _Hans_, as you may guess, I read your book…"

"Really?" grinning, he sat on the balcony. "You know how to read? That's amazing!"

She twisted her lips in anger, dangerously raising her glass. "I wonder, how nice would you look back at the party with a big red stain on your shirt?"

Hans laughed, shaking his free hand. "Alright, alright, that was uncalled… You read my book, uh? Did you like it?"

"No. It was obscene and perverted."

"Ohh, too bad," he shrugged, still smiling. "One can't please everybody, I learned it rather quickly. Well, thank you for your review Anna, although to come all this way just to tell me that? You really have too much free time on your hands…"

She couldn't believe her ears, how he was blindly missing the point. "Are trying to make me look like a fool?" she barked.

"Oh Anna," he chuckled. "You don't need any help from me to do that."

She raised her right foot, closed in an elegant and deadly heeled shoe, bashing it on the ground against his leather boot. Again, he emitted a breathless, pained howl, contorting his face, but barely emitting a sound.

"That's my story!" Anna was screaming. "That's! My! Story! That you twisted and covered in lies to make yourself look like the hero! How dare you?!"

Despite being clearly hurt, he softly started laughing again. He swallowed the rest of his drink with one final gulp, letting the wine descend within him, numbing down the pain before throwing the glass off the balcony. He looked at her once more, and seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit.

"So what?" he asked. "Yes, I took a lot of _inspiration_ from our… romance? Relationship? Still, what if I did? It's also _my_ story… you don't hold a monopoly on it, do you?"

"_Your_ story, is nothing but lies," she drily replied. "You're filling people's heads with lies. Lies about me, about my sister, about my kingdom! I won't accept that!"

"Oh dear," he huffed. "I'm an entertainer, lying is my job. Really, I don't get your point here. You talk like I used your names or even your face. I changed a lot in it."

"I don't care what you did or didn't change. It's the concept itself that makes me want to hurl, you… you…" she tried to come up with something harsh. "Sick, talentless, lying bastard!"

"Whoa, language princess," he _pretended_ to be hurt by those words, and then grinned amused. "Did blondie taught you these tough words? Do you still see him? What was his name anyway?"

She was tired, she was angry, she was slightly insane. She moved against him, beating a finger to his chest: "Listen well you _monster!_ I was dragged into a fish based food-fight that left my skin smelling like raw tuna for a week! I've eaten poisonous sewage at a brunch with a maniac, I was chased down by hysteric puddles and killer swans, and on top of all that, a French musketeer is stalking me! I'm not in the mood to hear your stupid comments!"

"Anna, my dear, it seems you already had too much wine…" he interrupted himself, reflecting on her words. "Wait, swans? Poodles? …you met… Veronica?"

"Unfortunately," she snarled. "Listen, we…"

"Wait a second," he stopped her, looking very confused. "You went to Veronica, in Rothering. And a food fight? You went… to my _brothers?!_ Why?"

"Why? What do you mean _why?!_" she yelled furiously. "I needed to find you, didn't I?!"

"Couldn't you just check the book?" he asked, perplexed. "In every edition, in the credits pages, there's always listed the place where it was originally printed. You would have found Wordswell's company immediately."

Anna paused. She starred at him with a blank expression, for how long she couldn't say. At the end, she simply jumped, shouting: "Enough with your _nonsense!_ Now I'm here, and I won't go back until this wretched mess is fixed!"

He sneered at her, folding his arms. "What are you going to do? You can't exactly force me to _unwrite it_, can you now?"

Hearing that phrase once agin made her suppress an abrupt and potent cry of anger. She glared at him, and soon came back a smile on her lips, a crazy idea filling her head. "You'll… no, _we_ _will write another book!_"

He lifted an eyebrow, at a loss. "I beg your pardon?"

Anna grinned, feeling smug and smart for that sudden inspiration. "You're famous and loved, right? People will buy everything you write? Then, we'll write another a book! The real story! A book that will teach that love and marriage are things you can't take lightly, and one needs to keep her head straight, be patient, don't let emotions…"

"Dear Anna…" he quietly whispered, fake-pity in his eyes. "There's no romanticism left in you? Is your heart so bleak and cold than you don't believe in love at first sight anymore?"

She looked at him, ready to snap: "You have some _nerve_ talking to me like that…"

He chuckled again. "What do you know about writing a book anyway?"

"How difficult could it be?" asked her, shrugging.

"You need to align a series of words from left to right, in an order that makes sense. So, yes, I think that would be too much for you to handle."

"Ooh, you are trash," she muttered, narrowing her eyes.

"What if I don't want to write this book of yours?" he challenged, smirking. "What are you going to do about it?"

Anna moved closer, looking coolly at him. "I will go back to the Southern Isles and inform them of your current position. King Albert seemed eager to put you back on that little insignificant rock in the middle of the ocean. How does that sound?"

Hans didn't say anything, and for a second, he looked seriously intimidated. Then he smiled once more, leaning towards her, causing Anna to flinch despite her attempt not to.

"_Oh, Anna_…" she felt his breath against her skin. "I would have never guessed you could be so devious… I kind of like it," he moved away, slowly marching back toward the ball room. "Alright, we will write this book. Now, with your permission, I have a dozen or so drooling women fighting to have a piece of my attention…"

Anna huffed, clenching her jaws. She looked down on her glass and swallowed all the wine in one single ferocious gulp, partly out of frustration, and partly because she saw him do it. It was a mistake. Immediately she felt her head light as a feather, like it wasn't attached to her body but floating in the air.

She cursed him one last time and decided to leave the party.

_End Chapter IV_

**Author's Note**: not really the most humorous of chapters, uhm? Well, we're talking about Anna and Hans, angst and anger can come. This will probably the last chapter before Christmas. Sorry to keep all you lovely folks waiting. See you either the 27 or 28. Merry Christmas to all!

A big thanks to the new followers and my dear reviewers, Elemental Hero, Steshin and our three guests, particularly _guest_ for the correction!


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter V The King of Nowhere_

"I'm worried…"

Elsa smiled, "You shouldn't be…"

Kristoff could only huff. In the past few days, the queen had welcomed him into the castle more than a few times to keep each other company now that Anna was still travelling. They were in the library, Elsa comfily sitting on a chair and Kristoff lying on a couch.

"It's been what, three weeks? What is she doing?" he shook is head. "Why is she spending so much time with that guy anyway?"

"Maybe she's not with him. Maybe she's, I don't know, visiting the country…"

"I think three days would be enough to see the whole of the Southern Isles…"

"Have you ever been there?"

"Uhm… no," he admitted.

"Kristoff," Elsa looked at him with a friendly smile. "My sister cares immensely about you. She would never do anything to hurt you. You know that, right?"

He nodded, smiling again. "Yes… yes I know…"

"Good. Now…" she raised once more the book she was reading. "Have you reached chapter fourteen?"

_Love is an Open Door_ had finally been printed in Arendelle. The Queen had bought a copy for herself and one for Kristoff to help him pass the time. He moved his eyes on his own copy, stunned. "_Yes!_ Can you believe it?! Arthur betrayed the prince!"

"I know…" Elsa was ecstatic. "I would have never seen this coming! I mean…he seemed so friendly and charming! What a twist!"

Kristoff pouted. "You know, this does sound familiar…"

The queen only shrugged, "Ignore that sensation, enjoy the book…"

* * *

Before leaving the party, Hans had managed to slip a piece of paper inside one of Anna's braids. In it, she had found an address. The following day, in the afternoon, she quickly reached it, alone. She found herself in front of a rather large building that reminded her of... "A theatre?"

It didn't just look like one; it was one. The entrance was sealed with wooden planks, but there was a smaller door on the right, inside a little alley. She marched towards it and started knocking furiously. Hanging on the left she noticed a small chain, and once she pulled it, the sound of a bell ringing reached her ears. After several minutes, he presented himself, wearing tight black pants and his puffy poet shirt from last night. He smiled gallantly: "Welcome to my humble abode, princess of Arendelle. You're particularly shining today…"

"I'm going to shove my foot up your…" she bit her lips in anger. "_Mouth_ if you don't quit being so much… you!"

"That's going to be really difficult, since I've been _me_ as long as I can remember," Hans rolled his eyes, leaving her space to get in. "Come on, make yourself at home…"

It was really a theatre. The various dressing rooms for the actors had been repurposed into a library, a dining room and a bedroom. After a ramp of stairs, the great stage could be reached that had been turned into a lounge complete with pendulum clock, all surrounded by the watchful eyes of a thick number of empty seats.

"Why would you live in an abandoned theatre?" she asked, with honest curiosity.

"Because I like it… it was cheap to buy, there's a lot of space, and, of course, I need to play the role of the eccentric and mysterious writer. Helps to sell books."

"My," Anna looked at his haughty expression, feeling a sense of revulsion deep within her stomach. "Is everything you do a giant lie?"

"Everybody lies my dear… And hey, look, it gets better!" he moved towards a prop abandoned in the middle of the stage. Together with a canapé, an armchair and a small coffee table, a fake throne that was probably used in some old period piece found its place. It was bulky with purple padding. Hans jumped on it, stretching his arms. "_Ta-dah!_ My very own throne!"

Anna tilted her head and looked at him in disbelief. Grimacing she spat: "You're _pathetic_."

Hans sighed tiredly. "This is how it's going to be, right? You insulting me every single chance you get."

She sat on the canapé. "You talk like you don't deserve it."

He shrugged, sprawling himself on the fake throne. Crossing his legs, he asked: "Listen, are we going to discuss this novel of yours or not?"

"Yes," she cleared her throat. "This is the story of a young woman…"

"_Booo-riii-ng_," he interrupted, tuning the word.

She scowled at him, showing off her teeth in a snarl of anger: "Hans, _I swear_…"

He chuckled, enjoying her anger, and waved a hand in the air. "Alright, alright, let's proceed. What's the name of our heroine?"

"An…" she grimaced. "Anastasia."

"Who is this Anastasia?"

"She's a princess, daughter of a king and a queen from a faraway land and her…"

"Wait," he stopped her once more. "If I still write about princesses, they will think I keep repeating myself. We should set it somewhere else. How about… she's the daughter of some landowners in the British countryside?"

Anna glanced at him. It was hard playing with him if she didn't know what his game was and what he was trying to accomplish. She didn't want to give him concessions but she could let this slide. "Whatever. The setting is not important. The moral is."

"And what's the moral we're aiming for?" he sneered, holding his head with a hand. "You should never fall in love with the first guy you meet, but jump on the second one as soon as he shows up?"

"You're jealous?" she asked, smiling.

"Of blondie?" he laughed. "Are you kidding me?"

Anna kept coolly looking at him. "His name is Kristoff."

"Typical peasant name," he snorted, still smiling. "What do you see in him anyway?"

"I should be the one asking you, considering the company you've kept," Anna started shivering, still terrified by those fresh memories. "You lived half a year with that maniac, Countess Veronica? Were you really that _desperate?_"

"Veronica is a marvellous woman. Honestly, if I didn't love the life of a single man so much I would have married her right away…"

She rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Nobody believes you Hans…"

"She had a lot of… _stamina._ That's all she needed to be perfect," he kept smiling. "I like how you're avoiding _my_ question…"

Anna scowled: "I'm not avoiding anything. Kristoff is a good man, and we love each other. End of the story."

"Oh," he sounded amused. "Is it… _true love?_"

"It's _love_," she sharply exclaimed. "It's genuine. It's solid, built on mutual respect. It's not a one night infatuation with a pompous snake."

"_Aaaah,_" Hans contorted his face in an overly dramatic mask of pain, wailing. He placed a hand on his chest and declared: "Ooh, Anna! Can you feel it? The sound of my heart shattering? That is your fault…"

Anna's hands clenched the fabric of her dress. She kept staring at him, taking in a deep, vibrating breath, and trying to contain all her fury and rage. "Anastasia…" she continued. "Spent her life away in her parents' mansion. Once they die... she inherits their fortune…"

"An alluring prize," commented Hans with a smirk. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "A lot of people would be attracted to it… so she meets a man? A man that truly wants her fortune that convinces her they're meant for each other?"

"Exactly," she raised her chin. "A disgusting, devious _little_ man named… Lord Vile!"

"_Lord Vile?!_" he threw his head backward, emitting a roaring laughter that made her practically glow red in embarrassment. "Lord _Vile!_ Lord Vile?! Oh my god, are you serious? What are you, six years old?!"

"H-he's…" yes, she realized immediately it was a stupid name, but she couldn't let him win that. "He's the bad guy! He has a bad guy name!"

He shook is head, moving a palm across his face. "You can't call the bad guy Lord Vile, this is not a book for children! No, actually, even children would think it's idiotic!"

"That's the name we're going with!" she yelled. "And that's final…"

"Let's take this a step back," he kept saying, still smiling. "Anastasia, our heroine, will be smitten by Lord Vile, only to learn later on that he's actually evil and merciless, right?"

"Right!" she confirmed, folding her arms.

"Well, if our heroine falls in love with a repulsive sleazy-looking man called Lord Vile, the only thing our readers will think of her is that's she dumb. Astonishingly, hopelessly _dumb_… do you want that?"

Anna groaned. "No…" he was right, and that made it even more annoying.

"Well then, our Lord Vile needs to be pretty, charming, stunning, and most of all, he needs _not_ to be called Lord Vile."

"Alright, alright!" she stomped her foot on the stage. "You're the expert in liars and crooks. How do we call him?"

He drummed the tip of his tongue against his lip, reflecting. "He'll be, simply, a man named Lucas. A man from the city. Unlike the countryside, he comes from a world where everybody is constantly battling for supremacy and personal glory. Because of this, he's sharp, he's…"

"He's evil," she continued, heatedly. "When he sees her the first time, he immediately thinks that Anastasia is an easy prey."

"The poor little girl has been kept away from society her whole life, her parents thought they were protecting her but they ended up being overly clingy… she's naïve, inexperienced, clumsy and…"

"She's a dreamer," remarked Anna. "She's honest, and trustworthy. She sees only the good in people."

"So innocent," Hans looked away, smiling less sardonically. "The first time they meet, Lucas is actually sort of charmed by her purity. She's like a child. He almost pities her…"

"No he doesn't," she whispered, still staring at him. "He has no such thing as pity in his heart. He doesn't care about anybody except for himself. He's that repugnant."

Hans curled his lips, snorted out a short laugh and nodded. Looking at her, he went back to his usual cruel smirk: "Well, if you want to write him that way, alright…"

"There's no other way to write him" she replied. "Anastasia is hosting her first party, she wants to prove to the world that she can handle herself. But Lucas seduces her… he plays every card right, he pretends to like everything that she likes…"

"He doesn't need to pretend about _everything_," he got up his throne. "I bet Anastasia is a rather gorgeous young woman, right? Who would be mad enough to not like that at least?"

"So he's not only a snake, but also a pig," Anna smiled back at him. "I think I hate Lucas already. He's the perfect villain…"

He moved closer and sat at the opposite side of the canapé, facing her. She stiffened, but didn't move too much, not wanting him to think that she was scared of his presence. She shifted her gaze for a second, studying him. Damn, those were some really tight pants he was wearing...

"Alright…" he asked, softly. "What happens next?"

"I think," she restarted, meeting his eyes again, "that this is as good as any moment to mention that there won't be any… sexual scenes in this book."

He was taken aback—frowning for the first time that day and looking seriously shocked. No, not shocked…downright scandalized. "_What?!_"

"Trashy pornography, a good story doesn't make," she commented. "Plus, there won't be any space for them anyway."

"What the hell are you, a _puritan?!_" he rebutted. "How are we going to sell a book without sex scenes?! We need at least one or two to keep things moving!"

"That's how it's going to be…" Anna concluded.

He shook is head, and grinned once more. "Well, maybe it's better this way. What would you know about sex anyway?"

That got her. "I know plenty!" she yelled, but immediately regretted doing so.

He started sneering, looking intrigued at her. "Oh my… don't tell me. You… and blondie…"

"His name is Kristoff!" she snarled, flustered. She stood up and moved across the stage, shaking her arms. "Shut up! _Shut up!_ You're the last person I would want to talk about this…"

"Ah..." he sighed. "Can you please stop yelling? You're giving me a headache."

Anna moved her hands to her face, drowning a scream inside them. She glared at him once more, asking: "Is there a bathroom of sorts inside this place?"

Hans huffed. "Follow the staircase back to the dressing rooms. There's a little room on the left."

Mostly, she just wanted to throw something cold on her face. There was a sink with a metallic bucket filled with pure, limpid water, and she cleaned herself, trying to cool off, taking deep breaths. She was making a mistake; she knew that. Just simply talking to him was exhausting, fighting off his gaze and resisting his venomous jokes was driving her to the brink of complete insanity. She asked herself what was even the point. Was he really going to write that book? Thinking about it, even if she told his brothers of his whereabouts, by the time she would reach the Southern Isles, he would have probably already escaped. Her trump card could be easily nullified. And even if he wrote that book, would it have changed anything at all? _Love is an Open Door_, that abomination, would still exist, a constant reminder of her own stupidity…

Sucking in another deep breath, she moved outside, reaching the hallway once more. She walked alongside the former dressing rooms, glancing inside each one of them. The door of his bedroom was open. There was a desk inside, and that was enough to make her stop and stare… it was covered in papers. Anna looked around, bit her lip and moved inside.

She didn't really have a clue what she was doing, but she decided to take a peek. The papers were covered in his handwriting; the words had been thrown on rapidly and furiously, maybe during a moment of particular strong inspiration. She read the title: _The King of Nowhere_. Was it that other book he talked about at the party? She started reading the first few words.

_Alone he was left on the island. There his mind raced continuously, as he gazed upon the endless, storming sea, feeling an overwhelming sense of inadequacy in the presence of nature's power. Every single wave crushed on the rocks like the mocking laugh of a child, every single gust of wind was a slap against his cheeks. A life of failures weighted on his shoulders, as the past came back to haunt him once more… nothing he could to do on that rock but look behind, studying the road he had choosen, and reflect on the obsessions that brought him there._

She narrowed her eyes, reflecting. That was Hans during his exile, she imagined. The writing was so different, not overly flowery, much more simple, much more cold. No compliments about his beauty, no self-titillation, the words instead were filled with something like sadness. It pervaded the entire text. She ran through the pages, confused.

_When they met, she smelled of summer and purity. She moved across the world with the tenderness of a flower and the curiosity of a child. She was pure and unpolluted; she grew up locked away from the insidious world. She knew pain and she knew loneliness, but they hadn't embittered her. He looked at her and wondered, for an instant alone, how life would had been if the moment was another, if the place was another_

Who was that? _Locked away_… Was he… was he talking about her? Again?

_If she wasn't who she was, and he wasn't who he was, then they could have found bliss in one another; they could have found refuge from a life of isolation and fear. Unbreakable, they would have been the light and the sun, and the moon and the stars, and the earth and the sea, and the night and the day. They would have been the reason of each other existence. _

_But he was who he was, the man with his mind filled with obsessions, and she was who she was, the woman in the middle of the road that he had forced himself to follow. He couldn't let her be the ray of hope; he couldn't let her be anything other than a hindrance to be removed. And as much fun their game would have been, and as much wonderful their life could have become, his dream, one made of greed and rage, squashed that future of beautiful lies._

She stared at the words, baffled by their meaning… there was something in there, it felt like… regret? From Hans? No. It wasn't possible. There was no way that filthy bastard could prove anything remotely similar to regret. It was probably just another bunch of lies clustered together, or maybe he wasn't talking about himself, but another…

"Anna!" hearing the call, she jumped in surprise, grabbing the papers and shoving them down her dress. Immediately she ran out of the bedroom, fast enough to precede his arrival.

"Why are taking so long?" he asked, moving down the stairs.

"I-I…" she shook her head. "A lady needs her time, you know!" she defensively declared. "You insensitive _oaf!_"

"Oaf? Seriously?" he reached her, an annoyed look in his eyes. "Whatever, I just realized, today—it's Wednesday."

Anna frowned. "So what?"

"So, you need to go now, and come back tomorrow…"

"What?! No! We barely started discussing the damn book!" she snapped. "If we move at this pace we'll need a year to complete it! I'm not going anywhere…"

"I'm waiting for somebody."

"Oh?" that surprised her. "And who's that?"

He crossed his arms with a smile. "I don't think that's any of your business, princess."

"_I'm_ your business at this moment," she replied angrily. "I don't care what you're doing but I don…"

The bell suddenly rang. Anna paused, caught off-guard. Hans gave her one last grin before moving towards the door. She stayed behind; watching… when the former prince opened up, a new figure literally jumped inside the theatre, stealing from him a wet kiss. Anna was left agape, watching in the distance.

"_Johanneeees_, did you miss me?" asked the newcomer, almost chirping. She was a sultry, stunning-looking woman, a sea of beautiful brown curls on her head, a mischievous, captivating smile and a rather large, florid bosom, exposed by a red dress with a very, very, _very_ low neckline.

"Ooh, Vanessa, how couldn't I miss your beauty?" Hans's voice became as dense and hot as oil as he smirked at her. "Is it Wednesday already? I swear, the constant wait makes my head spin in confusion…"

"Yes, you _mighty stallion_…" she moved her hip, gently hitting the lower side of his body. "Are you ready for our weekly ride?"

"You know me… when have I ever been not ready?" when he concluded that phrase, Anna watched in disbelief as the woman jumped on him again, pinning him against the wall. They exchanged another passionate and biting kiss, as she started running her hands down his chest, lower, lower, then grabbing his… _oh god!_ Anna winced, and her sudden breathless gasp revealed her presence.

Vanessa looked at her and the princess trembled once more. She didn't really want to be in this situation, and it was made even worse by the smile that appeared on the other lady's blood red lips. "_Oooh_, you found another pretty doll to play with," she caressed Hans' sideburns, giggling naughtily. "You know how I love pretty dolls…"

"W-what!" Anna felt mortified. "I-I… no- I…"

"Vanessa please, ignore her, she was just leaving…" Hans glared at the princess impatiently, hinting at the door with his head. "Right?"

Almost covering her face, not looking at them, Anna moved out. The door closed behind her, stirred by a rough kick by Hans. She found herself outside, but managed to hear them, their voice growing distant.

"Who was that?"

"Nobody my dear, don't worry…"

_Nobody_. Anna wanted to scream back some other violent, nasty insult, but she moved away as fast as she could. How long had she been inside that disgusting place? Less than an hour? It felt like an eternity. She slowed down after a while, taking in deep breath. Carefully, moving along the busy streets, she grabbed the pages she had stolen from his desk, still asking herself why she did something that random. One of the papers was covered with two paragraphs. In a thicker hand of ink, the words _Final Chapter_ were written at the top.

_Had he kissed her, he wouldn't have saved her, but he would have saved himself. Had he kissed her, he would have proved that something decent was still hidden inside of him. Had he kissed her, she would have still died, but he would have been reborn. But he chose not to kiss her. He chose not to save her and not to save himself. For he was weak, and had left the world corrupt him. And with that gesture he damned his life for all eternity, for no greater proof there was that his heart was empty and his soul was black. He left her to die…_

_And yet she saved herself, alone she stood, alone she healed her heart, alone she made his castle of lies crumble around him. She saved herself and he saw for the first time, his own weakness. Because they both tasted loneliness and exclusion, but she had the strength to move on and fight, she had the strength of not being corrupted by anger and fury, she had the strength of staying true to herself. She succeeded where he failed…_

The words stopped there. Anna read the passages over and over again, almost not looking where she was going.

"Had he kissed… he would have saved himself…" she sighed heavily, still left lost and slightly depressed by those words. She didn't understand. Was it that Hans was really regretting his actions or just elaborating some kind of screwed up, pitiful excuse for his behaviour? Was that true guilt or the rambling of a maniac? He didn't seem changed at all; he looked like the same greasy snake that betrayed her… yet she could still remember what a good actor he was.

That night, she had trouble sleeping, those weird thoughts and questions still filling her head.

* * *

Despite her better judgment, she went back to him the day after, early in the morning this time; a basket filled with newly bought stuff under her right arm. She knocked and rang the bell numerous times, steadily growing weary and tired of waiting.

"Come, come on, where are you…" she stopped, hearing footsteps. Finally, he came, opened up the door and gave her a worn-out look. "Oh, it's _just_ you…" he muttered.

Aside from a pair of pants, he was naked. Anna averted her eyes, only slightly embarrassed, commenting: "Put some clothes on, you animal..."

"Yes, yes, whatever…" he started walking as she moved in, closing the door. She glanced at him once more and frowned. His back was covered in red scratches and claw marks.

"What the hell happened to…" _ooh, right_. She kept her mouth shut, but he didn't seem to notice her words anyway. He went inside his bedroom, his mattress a convulsed mess, and put on the usual shirt. As he moved towards the bath to wash his face, Anna went into the middle of the dining room, emptying her basket on the small table. She looked around, identifying a teapot and a little fireplace, and set to work.

"What's all this stuff?" she turned her head as Hans moved in, sounding suspicious. His face was twisted in an irritated frown.

"I haven't had breakfast," she informed. "So on the way here I bought something to eat. Here are some brioches, bread and a cherry jam. Where do you keep your tea? I want to make some…"

She searched through some shelves. Not hearing an answer, she turned her head and watched. He was still standing at the door, staring at the stuff she brought like it was a puzzle that needed to be solved.

"What?" she asked.

He raised his chin and looked at her with a severe expression. "What's going on here?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Is there poison in the jam? You want to kill me?"

"No," she replied coldly. "I came here early and I realized I was hungry, so I bought something to eat. If you don't want any, don't take any, see if I care… now, where's the stupid tea?"

Hans studied her for another instant before pointing at a small cabinet nailed to the wall. In the span of fifteen minutes or so, Anna poured two steaming cups for the both of them. She sat at the table with him and cut a slice of bread for herself, eager to taste the jam she had found. Every once in a while, she glanced at his direction. He looked absent and annoyed. Initially, she thought he was still just sleepy, but there was obviously something more giving him trouble. "You look upset," she noted with the most detached tone she could produce, biting the successfully garnished bread. "Something happen?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"You're here," he remarked. "It's more than enough to ruin my day."

"Tsk," the answer didn't bother her; the taste of the jam was too good to be ruined by his bitterness. She had an eye for sweet stuff and that was a win. They stayed in silence; the only sound present was the munching of her teeth as she devoured one piece of bread, a second, and then started tasting a brioche.

After a while, Hans sighed. "I think I lost something from my study…" he confessed.

Anna stiffened, a half-eaten croissant in her hand. It suddenly became hard for her to swallow. "Oh," she hummed, raising her cup of tea. "What is it?"

"Something I wrote," he stared pensively into his cup, lost in thought.

She nodded, telling herself that she needed to pay no attention to the little twinge of guilt in her stomach. Considering all the stuff he had done to her, what were a couple of papers? Nothing. "You could just rewrite…" she suggested.

He pierced her with a glare that almost made her tremble. "Some things can't simply be rewritten, princess," he muttered, sounding aggravated. "Often they come out in a rush of emotions. That's not something that happens again the same way…"

"I…" Anna lowered her eyes. "S-sorry," she said before seeking refuge in another sip of tea.

Hans fanned a hand across his face, sighing out a long breath. "No, no… _I'm_ sorry," he replied. "I shouldn't be angry at you anyway… I'm the idiot that doesn't keep his stuff in order."

His admission only made her feel even worse, especially considering he apologized in a genuine tone and berated himself. That wasn't something she would ever expect to hear from him.

When he looked at her again, a newfound smirk on his lips, she almost cheered a little.

"So… where did we left off? The party? Anastasia and Lucas…"

She nodded. "Anastasia and Lucas..."

_End Chapter V_

**Author's note**: I like to write, and I always wished I would get good enough to be published one day. I don't want to do it to become famous, or rich, but I always wished to reach a point where a person would read something that I wrote and say "_You know, I enjoyed this more than enough to draw a fan art out of it_."

I didn't have to wait that long apparently, and that knowledge made me radiate happiness. I can't link them up on , but you can find them on the tumblr account _snuberr _(search then scribbles) owned by tender supporter and amazing proof-reader _Steshin_. A big thanks to her and all the other commenters, even they're just guest that dropped for a quick look or named members. So thanks again _Elemental Hero_, _BrittBerry_ and _secretly-luna._

And, is this a Hans/Anna fic? Well, it has Hans, it has Anna, and... uhm...


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter VI The Angry Dialogue_

"So… at this point, Anastasia will discover a secret… a secret that will force her to make a long journey… she has a sister that she has never met before because… their parents…" Anna, laying down on the canapé, pouted, not sure she could come up with a good reason. "Because… uhm…"

"Because she was born outside of her parents' marriage," Hans suggested. "She was technically a bastard, therefore, preferring to avoid a scandal they kept her away from their mansion, sending money to sustain her, but never allowing her presence in their real home…"

Anna wrinkled her nose. She didn't like the sound of that. "That makes the parents seem… I don't know, obsessed with appearances? Kind of inhumane…"

"That's how most people are," he grimly remarked.

"I don't want the parents to sound like bad guys…"

"But you say they kept two sisters separate their entire lives… we're running into a bit of a problem here…" he looked at her with a sour expression. "That's just an idea, we can work on that later on… so, she goes on her journey…"

She huffed. "Alright, we'll get back to it… she starts her adventure…"

They discussed the plot's broad details for the entire morning. Anna just narrated, partially from her own adventure, partially from another she made up on the spot, and Hans' almost never commented, talking only to ask clarifications or suggest alternative scenes.

Sitting limply on his fake throne, he even preoccupied himself with writing down all the main events on some papers. Anna watched him, wondering what was his problem… Taking those pages really put Hans in such a bad mood? She had left them at her ship, so she couldn't just hand them over to him right away… maybe the day after she could have sneak them back inside once more without being noticed, but that would not be easy either. She groaned softly, annoyed by her own confusion.

"Ok, well…" upon reaching the ending, still left rather foggy, they began discussing the characters in detail. "About the new guy… how should we call it? The guy she ends up with…"

"The love interest?"

"Yes, the love interest, what name should he have? Let's call him… Kr…no, uhm…"

"Anthony," he said.

"Why Anthony?"

"Why not?" he sounded bored out of mind, as if he wanted to end that torture as fast as he could.

Anna sighed, staring at the ceiling. "Anthony it is. And I want him to run around with an animal…"

"An animal?"

"Yes, a… _dog_… his most trusted friend… it shows that he has a gentle heart despite his roughish attitude…"

Hans snorted, emitting a rapid "Whatever…"

"I don't want them to fall for one another right from the get go… they have to work on it, gradually understanding each other…"

"_Uh-uhm_…"

She kept studying him some more, as he silently scribbled down her words, never raising his eyes from the paper. She sighed again, realizing that the lack of any sort of venomous commentary from him made her feel uncomfortable. Well, maybe that was too strong of a world… but it certainly made that whole conversation exceptionally dull and unexciting. She glanced at the pendulum on the stage.

"It's almost noon," she noticed.

"So what?"

"I'm getting hungry…"

"You stuffed yourself with an entire jar of jelly…" he commented, annoyed.

"I'm still hungry."

"Open your mouth," he grumbled. "Let some air in. It will fill your stomach eventually…"

Anna huffed. "You know, you're an awful, _awful_ host. Not that I'm surprised, but still…"

"Oh sweet mercy…" he stood up, exasperated. "I don't have a lot in the pantry, but maybe I can put something together."

She watched him go. Really, she just wanted to spur a reaction, and quickly followed him back into the kitchen. She sat at the table, watching him work to satisfy her hunger. "So," she asked. "What do you have?

He took a frying pan from a cabinet. "Eggs and bacon… around here, they usually eat them for breakfast…"

"It's ok," she assured him. She drummed her fingers against the table as he started preparing her lunch.

Suddenly, the weirdness of the situation caught her. Hans. Preparing lunch. To her. Never in a million years she thought she would have seen that happen.

She stared at him, grimacing as she noticed some small red stains on his white shirt. She wondered if those scratches hurt, but she didn't want to ask anything about _that_, obviously. Yet, the silence forced her to speak, "So… who was that, yesterday? Vanessa, right?"

"A friend," he quietly informed, as the aroma of cooked meat and eggs started to fill the room.

Anna frowned. "Seemed to me she was more than a friend…"

"You would be wrong," was his answer, accompanied with a sly glance. "We're friends. Friends that like to spend time together. Why do you want to know?"

She shrugged. "No reason."

"Yes, _no reason_," he repeated, adding an amused tone to it.

That was more like it. She proceeded: "I'm just surprised you have something like a _friend_. Although, I'm sure your concept of friendship is particularly skewed."

"I have plenty of friends," he remarked, without changing his tone. "Vanessa is the Wednesday-friend. On Monday there's Clara, and on Friday comes Kaja…"

Anna hissed back in disgust. "You're a pig," she blurted.

"Don't get all moral on me, princess," Hans looked at her, an amused smile tugging his lips. "They all know about each other. I'm not lying to anybody here, and we're all very, very happy."

"Sure you are…" she replied. "Without your title, living alone away from home, sitting on your fake throne, using a false name… you're the picture of happiness and mental health…"

Anna pronounced those words without really reflecting; only after uttering them, did she realize how cold and harsh they sounded. Hans gave no reply or acknowledgement, concentrating instead on cooking. She cursed herself with a barely audible groan. She had killed the mood once more, straight up murdered and butchered.

After a while, Hans finished and laid out in front of her a plate with some flatware. He added a loaf of bread, remnant of their (well, _her_) breakfast. "Seems tasty enough," was her only comment. "You're not eating?" she stopped herself from adding a '_with me'_.

"I'm not hungry," he coldly replied. He was about to leave the room, and Anna shook her head firmly.

"At least stay here," she called. "Keep me company…"

He stopped and looked at her. "You know, you're annoying. Really, really annoying. A spoiled brat."

"_Ooh_," she cried out a fake whine of pain. "Oh, Hans, can you feel it? That's the sound of my heart shattering!"

Hearing that mocking echo made him flush in anger. "Oh, why don't you shut up and come up with your own lines?!"

"Sit down Mr. Liebe," she ordered, starting on her eggs. He growled, reaching the table, as her loud chewing began.

Anna threw quick glances at him every once in a while. She wanted to know, she wanted to understand the words he had written. Guilt or lies, she felt a burning desire to find out. But how? As she tasted the bacon, she came up with an idea, "You know, I've been thinking…"

He gave her a bored look. "Don't talk with your mouth full…"

"Shut up…" she spat. "I've been thinking, when Lucas reveals his true motives… from that point on we should… I don't know, spend a little more time with him."

His jaded expression didn't change. He kept his face against a fist, staring at her. "More time? What does that mean?"

"I mean," she bit off another strip of bacon, loudly munching on it. "We should, like… have him explain himself. Really get to learn why he's such a snake… so that the protagonists can understand why he did what he did…"

"So," still no change in his face and tone. "You want him to try and justify his behaviour?"

"None of Lucas' actions are justifiable," she muttered, meeting his eyes. "But it doesn't mean that… well, his side of the story could maybe make things clearer… I don't think Anastasia would ever be able to completely forgive him, but it might become easier if he… shows his true colours?" and she put some more eggs under her teeth, diverting her eyes on the plate.

"I thought you wanted him to be pure evil…"

"I never said that," she denied.

"Alright," he shrugged. "What do you want his motives to be?"

"I… well I don't know…" she raised an eyebrow. "Any idea?"

"I think," he spoke slowly and thoughtfully. "That you're making me do all the long, boring work… the only thing you're contributing to this novel is a series of barely connected scenes and characters that I will have to work with, write dialogues for, narrate, and now even come up with convincing motivations…"

"What?! No! I'll help you write it!" she defended herself.

"So you'll come here every day for the two or three months that will take putting together the first draft alone? Then you'll keep coming back the following months for the various proof readings and rewrites?"

"Uhm…I…" no way she was going to do that. Anna still had to inform her sister and Kristoff of her _little_ detour. Thinking about it, she really had to send another letter at some point.

"You're really something," he said. "Dropping by uninvited like this, bullying me into writing this little fantasy of yours…"

"Me?! If anyone's the problem, it's you!" she shot back, glaring at him. "You're such a hypocrite! Bullying you?! Seriously?"

"You're blackmailing me…"

"Oh please! We both know that if I tried to reach the Southern Isles you would just escape again!"

"Yes! I would!" he growled. "And I don't like the idea! I don't like it _at all!_ I don't know if you noticed it, but I settled down quite nicely over here! You would force me to leave, restart everything _again!_ And where? America? Do I need to put an entire ocean between the two of us to escape your insanity?!"

"I'm not insane!" she roared, standing up. "I just want justice! I want you to face justice! After all you've done you think you can just get up and leave everything behind?!"

"What have I done, seriously, _what have I done?!_" he replied, facing her, even more angry. "When I was in Arendelle and that winter dropped on us, I took care of the citizens and helped them move through the storm… and after that?! I _failed_ in everything! I failed in taking your kingdom, in stopping your sister, in stopping you! Hell, you know what…" he started laughing. "I actually helped you a lot more than I helped myself!"

"What?!" she couldn't believe her ears. "How dare you! You tried to mess up my entire life!"

"Yes! I _tried!_" he interrupted. "I tried to marry you! And what happened? Your sister revealed her secret! Because of that, you chased her, and understood her, reconciled with her and even met the _love_ of your life! You should be grateful I even bothered to pay attention to your childish ramblings," he spat, talking with more energy and rage. "If it wasn't for me, you would be still barking at your sister's bedroom door like a lost puppy! The only reason you got an happy ending is because _I_ showed up to mess up your life!"

In a twisted, contorted and horrible way, Hans was right. Hadn't he asked for her hand, God knows how much more time would have been needed to confront Elsa and learn her secret, help her reconcile with the world. Yet, agreeing with him was not going to be in her plans.

"So it's all thanks to you now?" she replied in a mocking and bitter tone. "You're the big hero of _my_ story, uhm? I should thank you? I should say, oh, _dear_ Hans, I'm so _glad_ you broke my heart, left me for dead and tried to murder my sister?!"

She stabbed him with a violent glare. "Well, guess what, I'm _not_ going to do that! _Surprise!_ Yes, maybe your actions helped me reunite with my sister, that doesn't change the fact that you're a _liar_ and a _criminal_, that right now, should be in a prison cell and not living a life of parties!"

"Life of parties… _God_, sometimes you're smart, then immediately after you go back being _stupid!_"

She blinked, confused. "What?"

He folded his arms and sat on the table, his voice now soft and slow. "You just said it. I'm exiled from home, I live alone in a dusty old theatre, sitting on a fake throne, constantly pretending to be someone else, earning money by writing cheap, sleazy pornography…" he shook his head. "Aren't I the picture of happiness?"

Anna wasn't sure what to say. Once more, she looked at him. Under that dusty light, without the rich garbs, his hair uncombed, the stained shirt, he didn't look like Prince Hans of the Southern Isles _at all_, nor the bestselling author Johannes Liebe. He looked thin, lost, and weak. Depressing.

"I'm just…" again, he sighed. "Is it so hard to understand that you're forcing me to write a book about my _failures?_ And the idea doesn't appeal to me in the least?"

"Well…" Anna bit her lip. "Aren't you already writing a book about your failures anyway?" she asked. "_The King of Nowhere?_"

"That's different, that's…" Hans paused, realizing what she had just said. He looked at her in shock, "_What?!_ How do you…"

"I took the pages," she wryly confessed, still an annoyed look in her eyes. "And I'm very interested in knowing more about it, actually…"

"You! You… you! _Uughr!_" he seemed ready to scream, but he stopped himself, dropping once more on his seat.

"Explain…" she crossed her arms, eyeing him. "What is that? Are those all thoughts you had when you met me or…"

"No," he answered, running his fingers across his hair. "It's all stuff that I thought about _after_… I was brought back to the Southern Isles in chains, half of my brothers laughed at me, while the other half forgot I even existed. They exiled me and I started… I started thinking what it would have been like… If I wasn't who I was…" he smiled, kindly looking at her, in a way that made her flinch in surprise.

"You were… you _are_, charming Anna," he confessed. "In your _own_ personal and annoying way. It was hard to dislike you… on that island my brothers stuck me in, I didn't have anything to do but think… If I hadn't travelled to Arendelle for the throne, and we just met in another occasion, with time, maybe we could have… _ah_," he snorted out a laugh. "God, I sound so stupid right now."

"You kind of do," she agreed, receiving an annoyed look. Quickly she added "B-but not in a… bad way…?"

He raised an eyebrow, confused, and she too was at a loss. She really didn't know what to think anymore, or what to say. "W-what about," she continued, "that part about being… weak?"

"It isn't exactly subtle Anna, you can get it on your own," he shook his head. "We both spent our lives ignored by our siblings. But I became…" he rolled his eyes, like he couldn't believe what he was about to say: "a _liar_ and a _criminal_, and you remained… you. And in the end that _you_, was more then enough to take care of _me_."

"Well," Anna cleared her throat. "If it makes you feel any better, I met your brothers, and Elsa was never _that_ bad... so, I guess I got lucky there…"

"Is that supposed to cheer me up?"

"I d-don't know..." she weakly smiled. "It should?"

Their eyes met once more, and none of them said anything for a while. Anna wanted to talk again, say something, anything really, but it was as if her mouth couldn't move. She found herself lost in his hazel eyes. It felt a lot like that day, on that boat… their first meeting. When he was gazing at her with a mixture of confusion and interest, as she was there, numbingly standing in his presence.

After a while, he broke that silence with a whisper.

"Anna… I…"

She gulped, breathing more intensely.

"Y-yes?"

"_I want those pages back,_" he grunted.

"Ugh," moment _ruined_. She rolled her eyes: "Yes, okay, I'll bring them to you tomorrow, alright?"

He shook his head. "You can't, tomorrow is Friday, _Jessica_ drops by…"

"I thought Friday was _Kaja_'s day…" she dryly commented.

"They take turns."

"Pig…"

"I like the term _libertine_ better."

Anna threw her head back, sighing tiredly "And you still have the courage of saying you're not happy…"

He shrugged, smiling once more. "There're some nice moments here and there."

"Whatever…" she ran a hand across her face. "I'll stay here some more then bring them back to you later tonight, how does that sound?"

"_Oouh_," he smirked. "_Later tonight?_"

She didn't flinch, glaring at him with furrowed eyebrows. "Don't you _oouh_-me, mister, or I'll burn your precious paper…"

He raised his arms, palms together like a prayer. "Please, my lady, don't…"

"I'll do as you wish, but just because you cooked some good eggs," she informed, raising her chin. "No other reason."

The mood had changed. Their banter felt… friendlier? The way they both talked, the tone they used, and the glances they threw at each other… There was still animosity but it felt much safer, much more playful. Screaming a bit seemed to have helped. Anna wasn't going to add that man to her "_best-buddies_" list any time soon, but the hatred and anger she always felt against him up to that moment seemed to whiter away, substituted by a much tamer hostility.

She wondered what it meant, still unable to grasp completely the entity of that change. And she kept wondering during her trip back to the ship.

* * *

The sun fell in the distance, leaving the darkness to take control, a cold breeze running through the city of London. Anna reached back the old theatre, the basket under her arm, now filled with the stolen papers. Despite the stars in the sky, it was still relatively early and the streets weren't completely empty. A coach with a single horse but no driver was abandoned next to the building, and she wondered for a second if another one of Hans' 'friends' decided to show up uninvited. The last thing she wanted was to run into one of them again…

She had reflected a lot during that long walk back to the theatre. She realized, very quickly, that she couldn't really spend all that time in London writing a book. Not with _him_ anyway. Yet, the idea of simply leaving let her extremely conflicted… how was she going to explain herself? How she was going to solve that _Love is an Open Door_ mess? She understood him more clearly now, but she wasn't sure she was ready to forgive him for that blatant disrespect… maybe a bit more shouting would suffice?

She shook her head and reached the entrance. She was about to ring the bell, when she realized the door was open. Curious.

Anna cautiously moved inside, now afraid more than ever of encountering Hans being all tangled up under the sheets with Vanessa, Kaja or whatever… But she didn't hear a single sound. "Hans? Hans are you in here?" there seemed to be nobody in the former dressing rooms. Confused, Anna moved up to the stairs, reaching the stage, almost entirely dominated by the shadows.

"_Oh my God!_" Hans was on the ground, apparently unconscious. Anna dropped her basked and reached him with a jump, kneeling down. He groaned when she touched him, and she was almost screaming, "What happened?! Hans, are you hur…"

She stopped, feeling a cold pressure to her head. She didn't need too much time to learn that it was a gun. She raised her eyes. From the darkness came a figure, towering over her, garnished with ridiculously colourful clothes, a moustache and a feathered hat.

"Nice seeing you again… _mademoiselle_…"

_End Chapter VI_

**Author's notes**: thanks once more to steshin for the proof reading! And thanks for the sweet comments, 18madison18, Element Hero and _I Lurk in your House_, as all the guests! This is was a bit shorter of a chapter, and it's been a while since we had a really "fun" moment, but I promise, next time the wackiness will resurface once more. Gustaf is here!


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter VII The Night of the Jackal_

"You," Anna slowly stood up. "The musketeer…"

"_Oui_," he stood there in his usual overblown outfit, a rapier sword at his side. He kept a gun pointed at her, while in his left hand he held a rope. "I've searched for days the _éditeur _James Johns, but I ended up seeing through your _dépistage_, princess… you're very clever, but I'm cleverer… more clever… _smarter!_"

"Well…" she pursed her lips. "I don't think it was really that difficult to figure out in the first pl…"

"Silence!" He threw her the rope. "Tie up the prince, now!"

"Hans?" she went back to him, as he slowly regained consciousness. "Hans, are you alright?"

"Uhm," he grunted, a red bruise on his forehead. "I'm fine… I think…"

"Less chit-chat more tying," ordered the other man. "His _mains_ behind his back! And with _mains_ I mean hands!"

Anna started moving, at the same time asking herself what was going on. Hans gave her some answers while she was running the rope around his wrists. "Gustaf Laplaie," acidly called the Prince, shaking his head. "The Southern Isles' cheapest assassin and bounty hunter. Markolf sent you here, right? Only he has so little brain to choose such an incompetent buffoon…"

The man smiled. "The incompetent buffoon just captured you, _mon ami_."

"Are you still pretending to be French? I mean, it was funny a couple of years ago, now it's just sad…"

"Silence I said!"

Anna finished her work; Hans now tied up. She tried to not make the rope too tight and quickly tried to assure herself "It doesn't hurt, right?"

"You make good knots," he whispered with a sly smile. "You learned from my book? Chapter sixteen?"

"Hans," she growled, scowling at him. "This is really _not_ the time!"

Gustaf waved his gun in the air. "Now, _mademoiselle_, stand up! It's your turn!"

"What?" she winced.

"Leave her be," ordered the prince. "I'm the one my brother wants, right?"

"Aah, but I have prepared a _magnifique_ plan to deal with you both," the mercenary twirled his moustache, giggling evilly. "I will bring you to your brother and get my _paiement_. Then I will hold the _princesse_ hostage and get ransom money from her sister the _Reine de neiges_. Genius! What do you say?"

"I say, drop the fake accent, you're _painful_ to listen to…"

Anna stood up, her mind racing, trying to figure out a way to deal with the problem. She remembered the guy wasn't really that bright, so, she spat out the first thing that came in her mind. "How are you going to do it?"

"Uhm?!" Gustaf looked at her, confused. "What?"

"I tied up Hans, but who's going to tie up me?"

The musketeer opened his mouth in a gape, furrowing his eyebrows. "I… I was… I mean… I'll do it?"

"But you're holding a gun!" she pointed out, trying as hard as she could to look bewildered. "There's just no way you could tie me up with a single hand!"

Gustaf paused, carefully contemplated her words and then gasped in disbelief. "_Mon Dieu!_ You're right!" he stomped one of his boots against the stage, enraged. "_Merde!_ I always miss the details!"

"What the…" Hans was astonished. "Are you people serious? Gustaf, you're three times bigger than her, just put the gun aw…"

Anna shot him a warning glare, muttering "Hans, shut the hell up…"

Thankfully, the bounty hunter wasn't listening to them. He kept a hand against his chin, intensely massaging it, his lips puckered in an exaggerated expression of deep thinking. "I guess… I could… _Uhmmmm_…"

"You could," came once more Anna, smiling. "Close me in one of the dressing rooms for the time being and come back later on with somebody to help you?"

"_Oui!_" he jumped, smiling. "That is a great idea! Now, step lively!"

Under Gustaf's gun, she moved herself down the stage and inside the dining room. He cordially smiled at her: "_Mademoiselle_, my job would _plus facile_ if all my targets acted like you…"

"Well," she smiled at him. "I do what I can…"

He nodded and shut the door. Anna heard the sound of a key locking her up inside and sighed. It couldn't be all _that_ easy. Still, now she had more time to think. She felt the sound of Gustaf dragging Hans down the stairs, and looked around, searching for something to use as a weapon. The frying pan that cooked her lunch was soaking inside a bucket filled with water and soap suds. She took it, wielding it like a sword.

"Alright!" the noise had stopped, and she realized they were already outside. She didn't have much time left. Despite Hans' attempts to embellish the place, from her first visit she understood that the dusty theatre wasn't in the best of shapes. On the door, the knob, hinges and wood itself all looked old and fragile.

Anna raised the pan over her head and grunted in anger, throwing a blow to the doorknob. It vibrated along her arms, making her squirm. The door itself moved an inch, cracks and splinters appeared around the handle.

She took a deep breath charged another hit and struck the knob once more. It didn't fall down, but a fracture in the door appeared. Gritting her teeth, Anna threw herself against the wood, finally breaking it. The door slammed open, and she panted for a second before raising the pan in the air "Yes! I'm the _best!_"

The small victory gave her a rush of adrenaline. She ran outside the theatre, back onto the street. The abandoned coach was actually Gustaf's property. It was already moving, speeding away east along the road. Anna started chasing it, the pan still in her hand, but she realized soon enough she would never been able to catch up on foot.

She frantically looked around; at that point very few people filled the streets, but she immediately noticed a second coach pulled by a black horse. The coachman was a thin guy that was dismounting from his position with a bored expression.

"Hey! Hey you!" running, Anna reached him. "I need your cab!"

The man blankly stared at her. "It's late Miss, I'm not going anywhere…"

"I said I need your _cab!_" Anna jumped on top of the vehicle without looking at him. "Not that I needed _you!_"

"What the…" the man screamed behind her back, as she took the bridles and spurred the horse into action. The coach jumped onward, the stallion galloping with a fierce neigh.

They thundered across the street in a beeline, and then took a turn to the left, following the still distant Gustaf, who moved fast but didn't seem to notice his chaser. Anna narrowed her eyes and made the bridles pop once more, the cold night air whipping her face and hair as the speed increased.

That gave away her position. Gustaf turned his head in confusion, and their eyes met. The fake-French blanched and spurred his horse. The two cabs started running even faster on the cobblestones, the buildings and people whirring past them in a dark blur.

Gustaf slipped right into a street and Anna pulled her bridles, forcing her horse in an unexpected and violent turn. She clenched her teeth, barely keeping her balance as the cab ran on its left wheel for a handful of seconds, before returning into it's proper position with a strong rumble.

Anna kept following, trying to flank the other cab. Her eyes darted the road, and she paled, realizing that another cart was on the way, a cart filled with…

"Oh god no…"

Gustaf directly hit the third vehicle, making its entire cargo explode in the air. Fish of every size and shape started raining down the sky, and Anna screamed in terror as she immersed herself into a sea of codfish paste. Squinting, she whipped her bridles, growling in anger, moving to the side of her opponent.

Finally, she reached him, moving on his left, side by side down the road like speeding bullets. Without even thinking, Anna abandoned the bridles, took once more her frying pan, and jumped in the air towards her opponent. She fluctuated in the nothingness, her skirt dancing in the wind, almost gliding as she passed the distance between the two coaches.

Gustaf accelerated one last time, and for a second, the princess thought she wouldn't make it, that she would crash on the road and die. But the newfound speed wasn't enough to move the entire cab out of her reach, and she landed on its roof. She tightened her grip around it, not even able to catch a breath, as the vehicle kept speeding away along the jumpy road.

"Hans!" she called, beating the frying pan on the roof. "Hans can you hear me?!"

"Anna?! What the hell?!" he was inside. Anna narrowed her eyes; calculating her next move when suddenly, she heard a dry metallic _clack_.

She raised her head, realizing that Gustaf was pointing his gun at her. She moved herself a second before he pulled the trigger. The projectile bit off a piece of wood from the cab, as she slipped on the side, clinging herself to the side door.

From that position, she saw an incoming street lamp, directly right in front of her. Roaring in frustration, she opened the door and threw herself inside the cabin, a split second just before the collision. The wooden door was torn away, as the cab kept speeding away.

Anna groaned, not sure what she landed on…

"Well, well, well…" that was Hans voice in her ear. "This reminds me of something…"

"_Ugh!_" She was lying against his chest, hands on his abdomen. She rose up, her face red, mostly because of the chase. Mostly.

"You smell of fish," he sniffed. "Not my favourite but…"

She glowered at him. "Hans, seriously, do you realize your current position or are you really insane?!"

The cab stopped with a sudden and strong movement that caused them to be mashed together in a convulsed pile of bodies. Anna heard the sound of Gustaf dismounting from his position, and quickly grabbed the frying pan, fighting to stand up once again.

Brandishing his sword, the bounty hunter appeared in her line of sight, and she threw herself at him, screaming. She managed to catch him off guard, forcing him to back off. Her hair a mess, her dress stained, the smell of codfish in her clothes, Anna put down her feet on the tiled ground, raising her pan in the air, brandishing it with both hands.

Two weakly lit street lamps filled the small circular square they ended up in. Nobody seemed close by, only the three of them. Gustaf twirled his moustache once more, laughing.

"_Ah!_ A frying pan? You want to fight _moi_ with a frying pan? Who does that, seriously?" he made his rapier spin in the air in a cocky gesture… and it fell off his hands. Quickly he grabbed it once again, trying to act like nothing happened. He cleared his throat and shouted, "Surrender now _mademoiselle!_ You have no chance!"

"Oh please!" she smiled. "I took care of guys scarier than you!"

"I can attest that!"

She turned her head and glanced at the man tied up inside the coach. "Shut up Hans!"

The bounty hunter attacked, and Anna lowered the frying pan to her face, deflecting the first hit. A shower of sparks flickered around her eyes, as she moved on the right, avoiding a second hit. Gustaf shook his swords a third time, cutting the air close to her neck. The tip of her left braid came off, and an entire side of hair erupted, free like a fire.

Gustaf launched a high attack, dropping the rapier towards her head, but Anna shielded herself once more and quickly moved on her feet, reaching his side. She rotated the frying pan and bashed him in the side with the handle. The mercenary hobbled backward, gasping for air, vibrating another blow in the air to keep her away.

Anna stepped back and smiled, overexcited. She was doing it! With a roar she launched another attack, but something happened. Gustaf's eyes turned into angry cracks, and he deflected the frying pan with a hit strong enough to make her lose the grip on her weapon.

"Oh no…" she froze. Gustaf was about to attack her once more, and for a second she didn't know what to do. Then a scream cut through the night. She gasped, as Hans appeared out of nowhere and launched himself against the bounty hunter, head first into his chest, forcing him back.

Yet, the mercenary didn't fall. He barked in anger, moving the sword again. The tip of the rapier hit the former prince on the left, and Hans fell back, sitting on the ground, groaning in pain.

Anna widened her eyes in shock. Blood. She saw blood. Hans was bleeding. Screaming, she launched herself back to the frying pan, tightening her hands around the hilt once more. Like thunder, she attacked Gustaf, who was barely fast enough to shield himself from the first strike. At the second, he lost the grip on his sword. On the third, right in his stomach, he fell to the ground on his knees.

"_S'il vous plait_…" Gustaf raised his head, shaken, "_Mercy!_"

Anna smacked him across the face with the flat side of the frying pan. The blow tuned in the air like the ring of a bell, and the bounty hunter dropped down, face first on the ground. He emitted one long breathless howl before shutting up completely.

Once it was done, she stood panting, gasping fervently for air. "_Hans!_" terrified, she abandoned the crumpled pan and ran to him. He was groaning in pain, and she reached his side, eyes shut open.

"_Oh-my-god-oh-my-god-oh-my-god,_" Anna grabbed at her own hair, panicking."_You're bleeding! You're bleeding! Ohmygodyou'rebleeding!_"

"Oh would you look at that," Hans calmly noticed the small red stain opening up on his left sleeve. "You're right, I'm bleeding… but it's just a small cut so please _quit screaming!_"

"It is?!" she covered her mouth. "You're alright!? _Really?!_"

"I'm alright," he assured with a sigh.

"_Oh_," she launched onto him, closing his neck in her arms. "_Thank goodness!_" the sudden rush of emotions and adrenaline made her face fluster and her eyes all watery. She clung to him with all the strength she had, heaving out a deep sigh of relief.

"Uhm… Anna…?" after a while he spoke. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but can you please stop hugging me and free my hands?"

"Hugging… you…?" _Oh my god, I'm hugging him!_

With that realization, she released him as if he was a piece of hot iron. Soon she started working to free his hands and once that was done, they both stood up. Hans inspected his wound while she tried to keep at bay the unkempt river of her hair.

"Dammit, my braid…" she found the sliced piece on the ground and took it, studying it with a sigh. "Look at what he did."

Hans smiled to her. "Don't worry, you look nice with your hair like that," he consoled, kneading his wrists.

"Shut up Hans!" she diverted her attention, her face still red from the eventful evening. She looked at Gustaf still on the ground. "What do we do with him?"

"Ooh, the police will handle him…" Hans sneered. "After all, he did just try to kidnap a well-known and respected intellectual."

Anna lifted an eyebrow, giving him a brash smile. "Who's that? I don't see him…"

Hans sighed annoyed.

"Let's see if we can find somebody to help," he simply spat.

* * *

"Stop acting like a whiny baby!" she scolded.

"And you stop torturing me!"

"I said quit it!"

After dealing with Gustaf, now safely in the hands of the metropolitan police, they found their way back to the theatre where Anna preoccupied herself by mending his wounds in the dining room. The cut at the arm was really just a glorified scratch, but Anna still felt the need to wrap it up in a piece of cloth. Bigger and darker was the bruise on his brow, which she was dampening with a tissue soaked in alcohol.

"You'll have this thing on for a couple of days," she said. "He really hit you hard… did it hurt?"

"You're hurting me more now," he dryly remarked.

She curled her lips and stopped moving the cloth. It wasn't like she knew what she was doing in the first place. Staring at him with annoyed look, she just shook her head, "You're incredible…"

"Thanks," he said.

"It wasn't a positive statement."

"Oh," he chuckled. "Thanks anyway."

Surprisingly, she laughed too, moving a hand along her face. Maybe because she was out of energy and still rather jumpy from the experience, but she felt a bit euphoric.

"Hey," he called her attention, a gentle look softening his face. "Thanks for saving me by the way…"

Anna paused just for a second. His expression of gratitude seemed too genuine and so amiable. Quietly, she gave a smile of her own "No problem."

He then immediately pointed a finger at the broken down door of the room.

"Still, you owe me a new door and a new frying pan," he snorted.

She hung her head back and emitted a short whine. Once more, she met his eyes, lips bent. "You really have a special talent for ruining great moments, you know that?"

He threw her a playful smirk; "I wouldn't be surprised, after all the list of my talents is practically endless…"

"Yeah, of course…" she scoffed. "Well, I should thank you too, shouldn't I? The way you barged in against him like that…"

Hans shrugged. "No problem," he said, mimicking her.

Anna nodded and stood up. She looked at him frowning in surprise, and quickly added, "Since everything is fine here, I need to get back to my ship. It's late and I want to sleep. So, we'll…"

"Wait, wait," his hands moved around her wrists, blocking her without force. He jumped onto his feet, facing her. Realizing once more how much taller he was than her gave Anna a strange sensation, as she stared into his eyes.

"It is late," he agreed, with a soft smile. "Way too late for you to run around London. The streets around here can be dangerous, and there's worse stuff than fake-musketeers running around. So why don't you sleep here?"

The princess didn't say anything at first, and seeing her confused expression he rolled his eyes. "Do not worry, I'll be on the canapé, and you can fill the bed, alone…" he assured.

"_I_ will sleep on the canapé," she snapped. "I don't want to touch _your_ bed. Not after Vanessa, Kaja and all the others…" she stuck out her tongue in a disgusted scowl.

He was surprised, but he quickly sneered. "You really think the sofa was _spared_ from them?"

Anna trembled. "God! Y-you're filthy deep down to the bones…"

"Oh, shuts!" he walked away, abandoning his hold on her arms. "I'll change the sheets of the bed, so you can enjoy a safe, innocent, little beauty sleep."

She followed him to the bedroom and watched as he removed all the covers from his mattress then opened up a closet, taking out new white sheets that smelled of spring.

"Hey!" he started working with liveliness. "Now that I think about it, thanks to this, tomorrow you'll be right here! That means we'll get to work earlier… I will prepare breakfast. I'll go buy some more of that jam and this time I'll eat some of it myself," he grinned.

Anna leaned against the door, watching him, listening to him. She bit her lower lip, a sense of sadness welling in her eyes. There were so many things on her mind, at the same time that she didn't know where or what to focus on. The more she looked at him, the more something warm and undefined grew inside of her. And it made her afraid, unbelievably afraid, of all the things it could mean, and all the things it would have changed.

"Then we'll resume working on that book of yours without wasting much time. And, really, Jessica can wait. I'll tell her that I'm too busy to spend the day with her… don't worry, she'll understand, it's not the first time it happened…"

"No, Hans… I…" she interrupted him, shaking her head. "I don't think that will be possible."

Hans looked at her with a perplexed expression. "What's the problem now?"

"Tomorrow…" she closed her eyes and sighed. She had to do it. She had to say it. "Tomorrow I'll go back to Arendelle."

_End Chapter VII_

**Author's note**: Happy New Year People! We're approaching the end here…

Thanks once more to _steshin_ for the support and help, and to all my reviewers! Thanks for the kind words _Saemi67_, I was afraid that Gustaf's gibberish was insulting an entire nation but you proved me wrong. _TheAmazingArtemis_, I do love walls of text, so do not worry, I greatly appreciated it.

The same goes for the energetic comments of _ElementalHero_ and _18madison18_. _I Lurk in Your House_ this chapter should have solved your doubts. Thanks to _Sugarcookie545_, _fictionlover94_ our guests and the growing number of followers that still have to comment! It's always nice seeing so much support, and I'm happy that the cliffhanger worked on so many.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter VIII Happy Ending_

"Tomorrow I'll go back to Arendelle."

Hans expression barely changed. He furrowed his eyebrows ever so slightly, and his lips moved less than an inch. Anna could feel that he was containing himself, like he often did. She knew he was acting once again, forcing himself not to show what he truly felt.

"Oh, is that it?" he kept preparing the blanket on the bed, folding it with care. "What about the book?" he asked, speaking in a casual tone that felt rather forced.

She swallowed down a lump in her throat. "The book was a stupid idea."

"The book was a stupid idea," he repeated, like he was weighing the words.

"I don't want to force you to write it… and I can't stay here considering all the time it would take…" she moved her eyes across the floor, afraid of meeting his gaze. "So… that's that. I'm going back… Elsa and Kristoff are probably worried about me…"

She could have sworn she heard him growl the name "_Kristoff_" in a whisper of anger, but she wasn't sure. She looked at the former prince once more, as he finished preparing the bed for her, still a blank emotionless expression on his face.

"Alright," he rubbed his hands together. "Is it good?"

"It's good…" she nodded, her words barely audible. "Thanks."

"No need to thank me…" he moved, towards the door, reaching her side.

"Goodnight," he simply said.

She watched him go down the hallway, staring at his shoulders.

"Hans…" her voice acted alone with no consent from her brain. But when he turned his head and looked at her, all the connections in her head started working once more. Anna flushed red, unable to find the strength to look him the eye. She stared at the space around his neck and stuttered. "G-go…goodnight…"

He smiled, and moved upstairs. Anna went inside, took off her dress and dove under the covers. She turned on the mattress, and stared at the closed door of his bedroom. She just kept watching it, confused on why, confused on what she wanted and what she didn't want.

Was he going to come in the middle of the night? Was she waiting for him? She wanted that? She would have accepted him there? It would have been a mistake or a blessing? Was it better to scream and run away? Was it better to refuse him? She wanted to reject him, right? If he showed up, she would have jumped up in anger and disgust…right? Maybe… maybe she wanted him there? But why? He was Hans. He tried to ruin her life. But he failed… he regretted his actions... did he really? He did, right? In his book he said… But he was a born liar, a criminal! No she didn't want him to be there. She _didn't_… She didn't…? maybe… no… She _did_. She wanted him there…maybe…no…she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure about anything.

Anna kept staring at the door, all night, every hour, every minute, stiffening at every single sound, clenching the blankets at every single creak, eyes wide open, waiting for something, _anything_ to happen. In the end he didn't come. The light of the new day did.

* * *

They didn't have breakfast, together at least. Hans had prepared something for her, a good tea, and some apples neatly and elegantly cut on a plate, but he didn't eat anything, abandoning the theatre to run an errand, so he said.

Anna waited for his return, rearranging her hair as best as she could now that they were unbalanced. She ended up closing the majority in a single long braid, while a rebellious tuft fell on the left of her brow. That's when he showed up again.

"Where have you been?" she asked in a monotone.

"I had a cab come here," Hans answered with a distant tone. "So we don't have to walk back to the docks…"

"W-we?" she wrinkled her forehead.

He looked at her with a strange expression she couldn't figure out. "Well, you will allow me to say goodbye, right?"

"R-right…"

So they went together to the coach. The driver was the old man Anna had stolen from the night before. She ignored his rancorous glare and went inside, sitting quietly, as Hans reached her. The air was heavy, oppressing, they both stared outside their windows, barely acknowledging the existence of the other. The Princess felt her stomach curling and throbbing, the absolute lack of contact was giving her a horrible sensation deep down within her.

She wanted to say something, but didn't know what. Actually, she couldn't even be sure if she truly wanted to talk at all. After a while, her eyes moved across the streets, reaching a sign on a shop.

"Stop the cab," she ordered.

Hans finally looked at her, caught off-guard. "What?"

"Stop it now I said!"

The cart stopped, and she went outside. The former prince quickly followed her, as she moved towards the bookshop she had noticed a few moments earlier. They entered; she studied the place with her eyes. Smiling, she reached one of the books' expositions.

"Anna," he finally reached her. "What's going on now?"

Without saying a word, she raised a green covered volume and brought it to the counter, buying it. It was a copy of _Love is An Open Door_. Hans was even more confused. "Don't you already have one?"

Anna simply looked at him, ordering, "Sign it."

He frowned. "What?"

She pointed to a quill and a little jar of ink sitting quietly over the bookshop's counter. "Sign the book. For my sister."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not going to tell her it's you," she informed. "But she is a fan of Johaness Liebe, so…"

Hans smirked softly. He took the quill and covered the first page with the elaborate and curly signature of Mr. Liebe. After that small detour, the atmosphere grew less tense, yet, when they headed back into the cab, they still refused to utter a word and look at each other.

Sighing so feebly that only she could hear herself, Anna started running her fingers across the pages of that book that started it all. It was perfect and white, not at all stained and chipped like her own copy, consumed by countless rereadings. She skimmed her eyes to some of the words in the final chapters, studying some of the passages.

_And he leaned over her, their lips meeting in a single moment of perfect synchronization. They were not two but one, like the original perfect being of the myths, man and woman, united forever. And with that kiss, he saved the both of them._

Just a few days ago, those words had filled her with a chilling disgust. Now, she was looking at them in a whole new way. _With that kiss, he saved the both of them_. That was Hans dreaming of not making a mistake. Prince Friedrik wasn't created to stroke his own ego… it wasn't a character that represented what Hans thought he was, but what he wished to be. The one that wasn't weak, the one that didn't go searching for a throne, the one that didn't make mistakes on his way. The one that choose love over power.

In the book, the Prince was meant from the beginning to marry the Queen and become ruler of a nation, but he chose the powerless and lonely princess because of love… in the end, he did obtain a kingdom, but not because he wanted it, because he proved he deserved it. Now that Anna had met him once again, now that she had the chance to talk to him again, she finally got it. Underneath the flowery text, the grouchy pornography, the epic and sugary ending, she finally found the sadness... a mountain of sadness and regret.

They reached the Thames, set foot on the street and moved towards her ship. The captain was there, and upon seeing the newcomers, a relieved smile broke on his face.

"Princess…" he called. "We were worried… you should have informed us you planned of passing the night out…"

"Yes, of course… I'm sorry."

He nodded, and then took a good look at Hans. The eyes of the old sailor widened, as if he recognized him. "Aren't you… I mean… good morning sir… I think I…"

Anna knew what was happening, she quickly put herself between the two of them. "Captain, we're going back to Arendelle. Is the ship ready for such a trip?"

"We just filled out the stocks my lady," he reported. "To tell you the truth, a lot of our men are kind of homesick. They should be happy to hear about this…"

"I miss home too," she replied, smiling. "Tell them to get ready, we will depart as soon as possible."

He nodded, gave one last confused look at Hans and moved toward the boat.

"He recognized me?" asked Hans, with amusement.

"Almost. It doesn't matter, I'll work on it…" Anna sighed and looked at the redheaded man. "Well, so… this is it?"

"I don't know," he faced her. "This is it?"

"I don't know," she repeated. They stared at each other, but after a little while she had to divert her eyes, gazing to the world surrounding them. When they first met they where at a dock sort of like that.

"Anna…"

She went back to him, to his hazel eyes. "Y-yes?"

"Before you leave… I need to know…"

His expression was serious, his eyes piercing and powerful. He moved his gloved hands, taking hers. She cleared her throat suddenly thirsty, her heart racing just a little bit faster.

"What?" she asked, softly. "What do you need?"

"Will you…" he moved his eyes, almost like he was searching for help. "I am sorry… for everything that I did. To you, to your sister, to your kingdom… I'm sorry for the all the lies I've said, and all the pain I've caused you… I'm sorry for _everything_. And I need to know… if you will ever be able to forgive me?"

Anna kept staring at him. She moved one of her hands, and ran it across his face, brushing gently his left cheek, as a soft smile opened up her mouth. "I guess… I guess I…" she lowered her eyes, staring at his boots. "I guess I already did… sort of…"

Again, there was only silence between them. Such a silence that none of them had ever known. It was as if they were alone, in a bubble of nothingness, just two bodies and two minds.

"My lady!" the strong voice of the captain broke the enchantment. "We're ready when you are…"

Anna gave the sailor a nod before going back to Hans. She couldn't think of anything to say, but he preceded her. He leaned towards her and she flinched for a single second. She felt his lips on her right _cheek_, touching her with the gentleness and warmth of a breath, not lingering a second more than needed.

He went back, a little dreamlike smile on his lips. "Farewell my princess… It has been a pleasure."

Anna blinked. "Yes… _Farewell_…"

_Farewell_ sounded like such an awful word. She wanted to say something else, she wanted to give him one last word, she wanted to do one last thing. But she didn't. Anna moved up to her ship, and the sailors removed the small wooden bridge that connected them to the dock.

She stood quietly at the edge, watching him immobile at the harbour. The ship started moving. They descended the Thames, slowly but steadily. He became smaller and smaller, until she could only see a silhouette, and then nothing. Still, she kept gazing at the city in his direction, feeling that he was still there, feeling that he was still looking.

And then she couldn't see anymore. Because her eyes filled themselves with tears, and the world became one big blurry stain.

* * *

Ten days at sea and a few favourable winds later, the beauty of Arendelle blinded her once more. Anna took a deep breath, recognizing the taste of her country's air, the most wonderful thing that ever existed in the whole wide world. The sun was shining brightly and by the time they reached the docks, their ship had already been recognized, and a small contingent had gathered around waiting for them. Anna was sure she was about to cry of joy.

Everybody was there. Elsa, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf, all waiting. Once the ship stopped, she practically jumped down and ran towards them, her small basket underneath her arm.

Elsa was smiling from ear to ear. "I missed you so much…" she said, almost choking up.

"Me too," Anna kissed her cheek; already feeling the tears brimming her eyes.

Kristoff came forward and she didn't even allow him to speak, stamping a kiss on his lips that made him flush. They separated, and she laughed, "Missed me?"

"Do you even need to ask?" after a long hug, she let him go and concentrated on the other two, Sven and Olaf, both of them just as joyful.

"What took you so long?" asked the Queen, still smiling. "The Southern Isles must be more interesting that I thought if you spent all that time there…"

"Oh, yes…" Anna petted the reindeer's head, biting her lower lip. "About that… I actually left the Isles after a single day…"

They all looked at each other, rather confused, as she continued, "Yes, well, I went to Germany a couple of days, then moved to London soon after… I actually spent most of my time on the ship really…"

"You went… to London?" Kristoff was shocked. "_Why?_"

"Because… because…" Anna smiled, moving a hand inside her basket. "Well, I needed to get this somewhere… here it is Elsa!"

Her sister took the green book with a surprised expression. She opened up the first page and noticed the signature. "Johannes… no… _really?!_" she was stunned and joyful, smiling excitedly. "You got a copy signed by Liebe?!"

"I went to London when I discovered that's where he came from," explained the Princess. "I needed to be sure one hundred percent… and while I was there, well, I got the signature… guess I'm lucky."

The ice seeker grinned, shaking his head, "So in the end he wasn't Hans, uhm?"

Anna shrugged, "Surely not the Hans I knew."

Kristoff and Elsa looked at each other, slightly perplexed by that phrasing. Anna simply smiled at them, taking each one by the arm, and moved away from the docks.

"Come on guys, you wouldn't believe the things I have to tell you…"

After her return from that long journey, many noticed changes in the overall behaviour of Princess Anna. She became suddenly much more picky about her food, and started refusing to eat anything that came from a mass of water deeper than a finger. For some reason, mustard was also banished from the castle kitchens. Along with that, some servants often caught her spying with suspicious looks at the ducks in the great garden. Still, despite these minor eccentricities, life went back to its usual routine at the Court of Arendelle.

* * *

Six months passed by like they were nothing, filled with joy and laughs and little pleasures. Anna organized two parties for her sister's birthday, one with nobles from the region, the other, the real one, filled with crazy music and friends and dances. Then, she went to another aristocratic wedding, this time with Kristoff at her side, and she couldn't help but playfully laugh at how stiff and awkward he felt wearing some really formal suits.

One day, a particularly warm and cosy day, Anna was in her room, planning the last details of a picnic she had convinced her sister to take part in. She was rehashing what clothes to wear, when a knock came at her door.

"Come in…" she tuned, pulling her head out of the closet to see who it was. One of the maids stood at the opened door.

"My lady, am I disturbing you?"

"Not at all, not at all…" she moved to her. "What's happening?"

"A package arrived for you…" she moved a box towards her that was enveloped in red paper. "Directly from London!"

Anna was sure her heart stopped for a second. She gazed at the package, afraid of holding it, afraid of touching it. After a while, noticing her maid's concerned look, she forced herself to smile and took the box. "Thank you…"

She closed the door and moved to the middle of her room. No letters, no notes, just the box. She removed the red paper, opened it slowly, and found what was inside. A book, with a light blue rigid cover. _For the First time in Forever _by_ Johannes Liebe._

She opened it up…

_For many, that was a day like any other. For many, that was just 'a day' in their life. Not for her. For Anastasia, it was 'the day' of her life. Because, for the first time in forever, she wouldn't have been alone._

She moved through the pages, in religious silence, studying every word, every phrase.

…_among the guests there were nobles and aristocrats from the neighbour counties, many Anastasia wished to know, many she kept herself away from. People like the awful and old Lord Vile pestered her to obtain some attention, greedy little men with nothing in mind but her fortune… _

Anna snorted out a short laugh.

…_Lucas was everything she had hoped for, everything she had dreamed for. He talked like the princes she had imagined in her youth, and he said everything she wanted to hear, when she wanted to hear. As he gently kissed her hand, she felt she was in love._

The writing was simple and clear; the prose was attractive and fluent…

…_the man that entered caught her attention, this tall and burly young boy, maybe of her age, maybe slightly older. Blonde and strong, with a prominent face, he seemed rude and callous, dressed up in poor clothes. Yet, something in his eyes made her look at him much more carefully._

"_I'm sorry, what's your name?" she asked._

"_Anthony," he blurted out. "Could you move please?"_

Anna smiled, and chuckled, and tensed up, and snickered again, as the young but brave Anastasia and her companion Anthony, moved through mountains and plains and cities, trying to find a lost sister she never met, but she always wanted… then it happened…

"_Lucas…" Anastasia words came out weak and uncertain. "Lucas, what are you talking about…?!"_

"_Oh, my lady… you're so naïve…" The sweet gentle man seemed gone. He looked miserable and foul, and horrible and violent. His sneer was filled with contempt, and his laughter was poisonous. "You were so desperate for love…"_

Anna cried.

…_once he had finished, Anastasia gave him the sting of eyes. "None of your actions are justifiable," she declared. "But I do understand you… a little bit."_

_Lucas smiled with a little bit of hope. That's when she clenched her fist and knocked him out with one powerful jab to the nose._

Anna laughed.

_Anthony took her in his arms, ecstatic. "I could kiss you!" he declared, before suddenly realizing the rudeness of his behaviour. He put her back to the ground. "I mean… I could… I would… If you…"_

_Anastasia moved towards him and sealed his lips with a tender yet passionate kiss. The stood together, both happier than they ever been in their entire lives. This time, she didn't feel like she was in love. This time, she knew she was._

A happy ending. Anna put the book down, having finished it in record time, and moved along her bedroom, going out to her balcony. She took a deep breath of fresh air, watching the city, the sea, moving her eyes towards the sky, the clouds.

One solitary tear ran down her cheek, before being blown away by a breath of wind.

"I love happy endings…" she whispered.

_The End_

* * *

**Author's note**: How can you end a fanfic classified as "_humor and romance_" like this? I'm an awful human being … This is probably not what a lot of you readers expected, but it's more or less the ending I had planned from the get go.

I'm sorry for yanking your chains with the last few cliffhangers, and I'm sorry for not having them kiss like many wanted, please don't throw stones at me.

So, we're at the end of the story. There will be an extra chapter, like I promised, and I will use it to respond to all the last reviews there, but the real tale ended here. Thanks once more to _steshin_ for her amazing proof reading, and to all the reviewers! Thanks to _ElementHero_, _AriaScarlet_, _FerTape_, _Saemi67_, _AmazingArtemis_, _fictionlover94_, _Sugarcookie545_, _tinawinna_, _18Madison81_ and _minniemouse211_ for the reviews and the constant support of many of you! Thanks then to all the guests and all the followers that decided to move through this tale of insanity.


	9. Chapter 9

_Love is an Open Door by Johannes Liebe _

_Chapter IV Words like Notes on the Song of our Life_

"So, you do not have brothers you said?"

"None," explained Friedrik, as they moved themselves into a balcony, the light of the Moon tenderly kissing their bodies as they found a comfortable position to speak. "I assume my life was sufficiently pleasing without them… what do you tell me of the much beloved Queen? How was growing up with her majestic presence side by side?"

"I never truly known my sister Heralda," informed Veronica, her voice a stumpy and depressed sigh of regret. "Always she was sealed within her cavernous antrums, following the most mysterious of studies… she simply closed me away from her life and the life of alls, like happiness itself was something she dreaded…"

"Despicable," said the Prince. "I would never seal you away from the admiration of the others… for your figure and mind are worth of admiration…"

Veronica lifted her emerald eyes and soothingly whispered: "Prince, am I allowed to say something that could be effortlessly considered rather mad?"

"Madness is sometimes the key to true contentment my Lady… I love mad…"

"My existence whole as been a long sequence of doors closed in front of my lineaments… but then unpredictably I had the bliss of encountering you…"

"I had the equivalent thoughts, for you see, I've been exploring my entire existence to uncover a position that would gratify me… and maybe the celebrations are taking over my words… or the smell of pastries…"

Friedrik leaned towards her, as he cuddled with unmitigated gentleness her snow white cheeks, with one of his gloved fingers. "But with you… I found what so _much more_… And it's a sensation that I never encountered before! I say, Love is really…"

"…An open door!" she breathlessly exclaimed her lips curled in the sweetest of smiles. "Our lives could be so much more now that we found ourselves! I get it now…"

He grasped her arms with the candid touch of a feather, lifting her in a dance on the balcony. They drifted away in the castle halls, moving outside of the dreaded cold fortress, and into the beauty of nature. There, he looked at her with newfound warmth in his soul and heart, proclaiming: "I say, it's quite astonishing…"

She listened, "What?"

"We finish each other…"

"_Sentences!_" Veronica freely jumped away from his grasp, a joyful, childlike expression of pure joy curling her fairy lips, as she moved along the sand of the close shore.

Friedrik's eyes opened up with ecstatic joy: "That's _exactly_ what I wanted to say! I never met anybody who shared these same opinionated thoughts!"

"This intellectual harmonization we have," she stopped herself, eyes wide as she studied his elegant figure. "It can be explained in only way!"

"You and I…"

"Are just meat to be!"

"We shall bid farewell…" Prince Friedrick majestically rose his arms and took her once more, as the flew through the hallways of that mighty stronghold, dancing like angels in the Garden of Eden. "Bid farewell to all our memories of unhappiness and suffering! Now, we don't have to keep them anymore!"

"For love is an open door," repeated the princess, like she couldn't believe the joy that was filling her mind and body. "With you…"

Friedrik looked at her with joy and glee.

"Princess, am I allowed to say something that could be effortlessly considered rather mad?" at she naughtily laughed recollecting her own words, he took her warm hand and touched the sand of the shore with his knee. "Would you consider sharing together our world, side by side, until our very last breath… as husband and wife?"

She gasped in excited anticipation, declaring: "My prince, I must be madder than the hatters of London, for I will give you an answer and one alone: Yes!"

And at that moment, Veronica blossomed like a butterfly out of a shell of repression and fear. She removed her green dress creating a blot of grass on the sand of the seashore. There unclothed she stood as Eve in her first breathing day in the garden of Eden, her reddish lips curled in a eager leer.

"Not a thing I have power over other than my own body. As such, to you that awards me with the gift of love, I donate to you my very being and all then most intimate folds of my skin…"

* * *

**Author's note**: This fanfiction is officially over!

Again, I'm afraid some people misunderstood me, I did say back in chapter 2 that I planned on doing just a quick special chapter with the entire rewrite of love is an open door in flowery text. I wasn't really planning on an epilogue or anything like that, and honestly, what could I write? Right at this moment, I feel everything would be superfluous to the story.

Sorry If you feel betrayed once again. Look at the bright side, you have yet another chance to write insults at me! :D

_darkxchocolate94:_ that would have been nice, wouldn't it? Sadly, I knew from the start I couldn't really have the characters fall for one another after all they've been through. Thanks for reading!

_steshin:_ Once more, I said a million times, I'll say it again, thank for you help and reads. I'm sorry for breaking your heart, but I'm happy that you understood so well where I was going with it. Having Hans and Anna go together right away wouldn't have worked.

And while I don't have anything against Kristoff/Elsa pairing, it could actually be interesting, I don't think either of the two would ever try anything considering Anna's existence. They both love her too much to hurt her like that.

I guess many here misunderstood the little vignette with the two of them. It was meant to be a humorous note added to a chapter I felt was a bit too heavy with "seriousness".

_TheElementHero:_ thanks for the constant support and I gladly take that cookie! As for future fics, we'll see, I hope to write a little more, but in the following months I won't have that much free time, so it happens, they will either be one shots or fics updated much more slowly (the latter being something I want to avoid)

_Xavier Enzo Frost_: I'm sorry, so very sorry, but I say the story has reached his end for now. Everything is where it should be. A few hearts are sorely smashed, but, that's how things go sometimes. So, thank you for your support and please, don't you die on me.

_Fictionlover94:_ Hope you weren't disappointed with this lame extra! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

_Saemi67:_ I'm sorry I made you cry D: The end is indeed open, know knows what happens next! Thanks so much for finding the time and will to review and read all of this! Indeed, I would really love to write something Frozen again, and some more Anna/Hans, we'll see how things go.

_Sugacookie545:_ I'm so glad you liked it! The ending was obviously the hardest part to work on, and I debated many times what to write and how to work in, I'm happy it worked so well for you.I guess this chapter already answered your question, uhm? ;D

_TheAmazingArtemis: _;_; I know right? Thanks for the support!

_dranbit:_ again, no epilogue, sorry. Your comments on Anna being OC struck a cord. I guess some of her lines in the earlier chapters sounds weird coming out of mouth, mostly the implied "_bull_" comment. Indeed, it came out much more naturally as I kept writing. Many thanks for the thoughtful review, I appreciate it immensely.

_I Lurk in Your House:_ I was afraid that the ending would have ruined the mood of many, but I'm overjoyed by all this positivity. Many thanks again, for the support and good words!

_SleepingWarriors:_ Many thanks! You're not the first that could see a sequel going on, but again, it all depends if I find a plot good enough to write, the same goes for all fics.

_18Madison81:_ that's quite an achievement, and I'm happy you liked it so much. Thank you for the support!

_rothswings:_ oh my, "_the best Hans/Anna_", "_perfect_"… that's way too much, you're spoiling me. Thank you for your review!

_splattermusic:_ glad that many enjoyed the finale. Much appreciated, thank you for your review!

_Mizumaru Mari_: I'm happy that you too enjoyed the ending. Many thanks!

Well this is it girls and boys. Thanks again to all the guests and all the followers and a big thanks to all the future readers and future reviewers. It means a lot to me.


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